Abstract
Background
Endometriosis is a chronic reproductive disease manifesting in physical symptoms including pain, abdominal swelling, altered bowel and bladder function, and fatigue. These symptoms potentially threaten body image regarding subjective perceptions of functional, appearance, and sensory aspects of one’s body. The aim of this study was to qualitatively understand how endometriosis impacts on affective and perceptual aspects of body image.
Method
Participants (N = 40) were recruited through endometriosis consumer organizations. In an online survey, participants completed demographic and health history questions, then provided written narratives about body image–related impacts of their endometriosis in response to open-ended questions. These data were thematically analyzed using the template approach.
Findings
The majority of participants (Mage = 28.3 years) were employed part-time, diagnosed on average for 4.2 years, and reported pelvic pain and bloating, fatigue, and nausea symptoms. Thematic analysis yielded three themes including My Body is a Barrier, Needing to Hide Myself, and Body as Healer and Teacher, all of which reflected affective and perceptual aspects of body image.
Conclusion
These findings highlight wide-ranging body image–related impacts of endometriosis, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to address these concerns.
Endometriosis is a chronic reproductive disease manifesting in physical symptoms including pain, abdominal swelling, altered bowel and bladder function, and fatigue. These symptoms potentially threaten body image regarding subjective perceptions of functional, appearance, and sensory aspects of one’s body. The aim of this study was to qualitatively understand how endometriosis impacts on affective and perceptual aspects of body image.
Method
Participants (N = 40) were recruited through endometriosis consumer organizations. In an online survey, participants completed demographic and health history questions, then provided written narratives about body image–related impacts of their endometriosis in response to open-ended questions. These data were thematically analyzed using the template approach.
Findings
The majority of participants (Mage = 28.3 years) were employed part-time, diagnosed on average for 4.2 years, and reported pelvic pain and bloating, fatigue, and nausea symptoms. Thematic analysis yielded three themes including My Body is a Barrier, Needing to Hide Myself, and Body as Healer and Teacher, all of which reflected affective and perceptual aspects of body image.
Conclusion
These findings highlight wide-ranging body image–related impacts of endometriosis, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to address these concerns.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 543–554 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | International Journal of Behavioral Medicine |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 8 Sept 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Publisher correction article can be found at Sayer-Jones, K., Sherman, K.A. Publisher Correction: “My Body…Tends To Betray Me Sometimes”: A Qualitative Analysis of Affective and Perceptual Body Image in Individuals Living with Endometriosis. Int.J. Behav. Med. 30, 584 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-022-10122-5
Keywords
- body image
- endometriosis
- qualitative
- chronic illness
- gynecology
- thematic analysis