Women’s perspectives of aesthetic surgery in relation to religious beliefs and associated socioeconomic variables: A questionnaire-based survey among women with and without previous aesthetic surgery

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate women's perspectives of aesthetic surgery in relation to religious beliefs and associated socioeconomic variables in a general population of women with and without previous aesthetic surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 volunteer women (mean age, 37 years; range, 18 to 63 years) with (n=250) and without (n=250) previous aesthetic surgery were included in this questionnaire survey. The questionnaire form was applied via face-to-face method and elicited items on sociodemographic characteristics and women's perspective of aesthetic surgery in relation to religious beliefs, provider selection, and partner's support. Results: Overall, 28.8% strongly agreed/agreed that aesthetic surgery contradicted their religious beliefs. Gender of the surgeon was considered not important in provider selection by 69.2% of women, while 45.6% of women with previous aesthetic surgery reported that their partners were fully supportive during their previous surgery decision. Aesthetic procedures were considered not to contradict religious beliefs by a higher rate of women with versus without previous aesthetic surgery (58.9% vs. 31.4%), women aged <55 year vs. ≥55 year (41.4 to 53.2% vs. 15.8%), women with vs. without higher education (63.0% vs. 26.7 to 39.4%), and women with high vs. moderate or poor socioeconomic level (59.3% vs. 36.4% and 32.2%, respectively). Overall, 15.8% of women with previous aesthetic surgery reported they agreed/strongly agreed that aesthetic procedures contradicted religious beliefs. Conclusion: Our study findings indicate that aesthetic surgery is considered by one-third of women to contradict their religious beliefs, being more likely in case of no previous aesthetic surgery, older age, illiteracy, and poor socioeconomic status.

40 Yaş Üstü Kadınların Dini Bağlılık Düzeylerinin Kozmetik Cerrahiye Bakış Açısına Etkisi

“…Still, religion affects the final decision. 8 For this reason, nurses should evaluate women's religious commitment levels and plan their care holistically to increase the quality of care and patient satisfaction. In addition, recognizing the motivating factors behind the decision to apply for plastic surgery is extremely important for recovery and psychological outcomes in the postoperative period.…”

“…The leading independent variable was the Adaptation of Religious Commitment Scale (ARCS), and other independent variables were determined as religious opinion, fasting, praying, and pilgrimage. Instrumentation: The questionnaire form the researchers prepared based on the literature 7,8 was used as the first data collection tool. Other forms used in the data collection process are the ACSS and the ARCS.…”

“…4,6 Along with this, there are also studies showing that attitudes toward plastic surgery are affected by religious factors. 1,7,8 The perception of beauty and beautiful women varies across different age groups and cultures. Women have used the necessary opportunities to look aesthetically better and to be more beautiful for centuries.…”

O profilu zainteresiranih estetičara ili studenata grada Zagreba otvorenih za estetsku kirurgiju

“…Pojedina su istraživanja (Seltzer, 1965;Furnham i Levitas, 2012;Bresler i Paskhover, 2018;Okumuş, 2019;Holman, 2012) dovela u vezu estetsku kirurgiju i religioznost uz napomenu kako je riječ o manje istraženom odnosu koji je u rijetkim studijama portretiran nižom permisivnošću religioznih osoba naspram različitih praksi transformacije tijela uključujući estetsku kirurgiju. Srodan je zaključak autorskog istraživanja Furnham i Levitas (2012, 48-50) prema kojima je vjerojatnije da će religiozni pojedinci estetske zahvate smatrati odstupanjem od vlastitih religijskih uvjerenja, iako treba naglasiti da ne postoji konkretna vjerska doktrina u katolika, protestanata, Židova ili muslimana o zabrani korištenja estetske kirurgije (Seltzer, 1965, 207;Bresler i Paskhover, 2018, 1701-1702.…”

“…Jesu li pri tome ispitani studenti svoj interes za estetskom kirurgijom filtrirali putem osviještenosti ili opterećenosti starenjem, trebalo bi podrobnije ispitati, ali svakako ovaj nalaz ostaje kao važna indicija za buduće radove. Ako je rodna dimenzija (bila) najrealnija u kanaliziranju studentske (ne)zainteresiranosti za estetskom kirurgijom, dimenzija religioznosti moguće predstavlja intrigantn(ij)i nalaz na koji je uputila nekolicina autora (Holman, 2012;Bresler i Paskhover, 2018;Okumuş, 2019) i koja je dobila empirijski oslonac u korištenom metodološkom okviru, prvenstveno imajući na umu da je u prigodnom uzorku bilo 66,1% deklariranih vjernika. Ta bi se spoznaja u kontekstu dominantno vjerničke populacije hrvatskoga društva mogla dalje razraditi instrumentima (praktične, deklarativne) religioznosti i otvorenosti kategorijama (ne)invazivnih formi estetske kirurgije od koje su neke spomenute i u narednoj analizi.…”