“Health in the Mirror”: An Unconventional Approach to Unmet Psychological Needs in Oncology

Abstract

Background: The introduction of aesthetic care programs for cancer patients inside hospitals could help patients cope with the side effects of both disease and treatment. The specific objective of this study is to evaluate whether a complementary and supportive program, called “Health in the Mirror,” has a positive effect on participants by analyzing certain psychological variables. Methods: Eighty-eight female cancer patients were included in this analysis. The support program is composed of three group aesthetic interventions that address both physical and psychological aspects that accompany cancer and its treatment. Patients were asked to complete a battery of tests in order to measure the impact of the program on certain psychological variables including anxiety, depression, body image, self-esteem, and quality of life. Outcome variables were measured at three different time-points: prior to participation, on the last day of the program, and after a 3-month follow-up. Results: Participating in the psychosocial support program “Health in the Mirror” determines an improvement in the psychological variables measured. Results revealed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, anxiety and body image issues, as well as an improvement in self-esteem levels; this suggests that participating in this program could facilitate better adjustment to disease and treatment. Discussion: This study legitimizes the importance of implementing supportive and complementary therapies together with conventional therapies; the therapeutic approach to cancer cannot be restricted solely to medical care, but it must consider the patient as a whole person with needs that are not only physical or medical, but also psychological, social, and existential.

Recover your smile: Effects of a beauty care intervention on depressive symptoms, quality of life, and self‐esteem in patients with early breast cancer

“…Research on the immediate and short‐term effects of beauty care interventions in breast cancer patients, however, is less clear: It was consistently found that perception of attractiveness was improved, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were immediately decreased by beauty care . While these results support the idea that beauty care has beneficial effects on psychological outcomes on the short term, no conclusions can yet be drawn about their specificity, reliability, and stability because of a lack of control groups (including randomized assignment), low‐sample sizes, and short or absent follow‐ups.…”

A New Framework for Narcissism in Health Psychology and Psycho-Oncology

“…Noticeably, a quantitative assessment showed that participating in the Health in the Mirror program fostered a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, anxiety and body image issues, both immediately at the conclusion of the program and 3 months later. Remarkably, self-esteem levels showed an improvement at the 3-months follow-up (Di Mattei et al, 2017).…”

“…For instance, chemotherapy is often associated with cosmetic side effects, including alopecia, paleness, dry skin, and weight loss or gain (Amiel et al, 2009). These adverse reactions can represent for patients a source of distress comparable to the disease itself (Di Mattei et al, 2016Mattei et al, , 2017. Notably, the aesthetic consequences of therapies, such as hair loss, can be experienced in terms of a real trauma, especially by the female population (Lemieux et al, 2008), leading to anxiety and depression symptoms (Stafford et al, 2015).…”

“…Notably, the aesthetic consequences of therapies, such as hair loss, can be experienced in terms of a real trauma, especially by the female population (Lemieux et al, 2008), leading to anxiety and depression symptoms (Stafford et al, 2015). In turn, such detrimental effects provoke a significant impairment of selfesteem and perceived body image (Pinar et al, 2012;Di Mattei et al, 2017). In fact, illness often becomes visible with the beginning of treatment, which is experienced as a period of body deterioration (Quintard and Lakdja, 2008) and loss of social and emotional identity (Amiel et al, 2009).…”

“…In this perspective, the introduction of aesthetic care interventions inside hospitals enables a global vision of the patient, not just by "curing" the disease, but also by "taking care" of the person as a whole. These programs can provide female cancer patients with an opportunity to regain a positive contact with their bodies, which have been altered by aggressive therapies, thus reconnecting with their beauty and femininity (Di Mattei et al, 2017). The focus of these interventions is in fact the recovery of adequate self-esteem levels, normally present before cancer diagnosis.…”