Individu
als undergoing limb reconstruction procedures undergo long periods of tre
atment th
at m
ay be p
ainful, dis
abling
and
affect the individu
al’s self-perception. The liter
ature identifies th
at body-im
age
and self-concept issues do imp
act the individu
al during the tre
atment tr
ajectory. In p
articul
ar the rel
ationship between self-esteem
and body-im
age h
as received
attention
and it is identified th
at
a more positive view of the body is
associ
ated with
a higher level of self-esteem. However, to d
ate, no studies h
ave been undert
aken to ex
amine these concepts in m
ales
and fem
ales independently. This study
aims to
address this shortf
all in the liter
ature.
A population of clients (n = 60) undergoing limb reconstruction procedures within an inner city teaching hospital were included in the study and asked to complete the self-esteem scale [Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the Adolescent Self Image. Princeton University Press, Princeton] and the body-esteem scale [Franzoi, F.L., Shields, S.A. (1984). The body-esteem scale: multi-dimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment 48 (1984) 173–178].
The results demonstrated that:
There is no significant difference between the scores of males and females for both self-esteem and body-esteem.
There is a significant relationship between body-esteem and self-esteem in the group as a whole.
Two out of the three factors associated with body-esteem in males correlate significantly with self-esteem.
All factors associated with body-esteem in females correlate significantly with self-esteem.
