Lived Experience of Women with Augmentation Mammaplasty

• Main Authors: Wan-Ru Wu, 吳婉如
• Other Authors: Ue- Lin Chung
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/16936557839881226649

碩士 === 國立台北護理學院 === 護理研究所 === 92 === The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine women’s experiences from preoperative to postoperative phases of augmentation mammaplasty. Nine women undergone augmentation mammaplasty were selected by purposive sampling method, and interviewed with a semi-structured, open-ended interview guideline. The transcripts of interview were analyzed from the perspective of Symbolic Interactionism, and categorized by content analysis method. Four categorized stages in sequence of the participants’ experiences were analyzed in this study as follows: (1) preoperative stage: feeling the distress of the life caused by unsatisfied body image; (2) preparative stage: putting augmentation mammaplasty into action; (3) operative stage: bearing the discomfort of pain, and looking forward to the image of beauty future; (4) post operative stage: going back to life track, and rebuilding personal value. The study revealed the experiences of women with augmentation mammaplasty was like a trip of rebuilding self-esteem. At the beginning, women realized the stress of keeping beauty standards of body shape, and felt life distressed. After weighting the advantages and disadvantages of breast augmentation, women held firmly attitude toward the action of surgery in order to overcome the feeling of life distresses. Finally, women regained the self-esteem with their new breasts in their lives. It is recommended that the findings of this study could be utilized to enhance medical professionals’ perception of women with agumentation mammaplasty, and thereby could apply the appropriate knowledge and information for nursing women with augmentation mammaplasty.