Exploring Psychological Variables Of People Who Seek Aesthetic Surgery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploratory analysis of the mediating role of Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Difficulties in the relationship between Insecure Attachment, Body Image Dissatisfaction and Perfectionism in Aesthetic Surgery Patients.
IRAS ID
178091
Contact name
Sara-Louise Couper
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 14 days
Research summary
Concern about appearance is increasingly being recognised and has been paralleled by a significant increase in aesthetic surgery procedures. Despite this increase, there is a limited understanding about specific psychological characteristics linked to seeking aesthetic surgery. Body Image Dissatisfaction and Perfectionistic traits have been proposed to be defining characteristic of patients who seek aesthetic surgery and have been directly linked to negative outcomes post-surgery. However, there is limited research that supports this proposition or explores potential psychological factors that contribute to Body Image Dissatisfaction and Perfectionism within this clinical population.
Insecure Attachment, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Difficulties may play a pivotal role in the development of Body Image Dissatisfaction and Perfectionism in aesthetic surgery candidates. Yet, research exploring the relationship between these psychological characteristics is extremely limited. This study is therefore the first to investigate the relationship between Insecure Attachment, Interpersonal Functioning, Emotion Regulation, Body Image Dissatisfaction and Perfectionism in people who seek aesthetic surgery. Exploring the relationship between these psychological characteristics will help to identify effective interventions that best support individuals who seek aesthetic surgery.
This study will utilise a cross sectional, quantitative survey design and is sponsored by The University of Edinburgh. The recruitment process and design for this project is structured around the current routine Adult Exceptional Aesthetic Referrals Pathway (AEARP; See Section A13). Consecutive adult patients seeking elective aesthetic surgery who are referred to NHS Tayside and NHS Fife AEARP for a routine Clinical Health Psychology Screening assessment will be recruited over an 8 month period. Participants who consent to partake in the study will be asked to provide their permission for the Chief Investigator to access 4 out of 9 routine pre-assessment AEARP measures in addition to the completion of one additional questionnaire that measures Attachment Style.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
15/ES/0087
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion