Body image investment in breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction: taking a closer look at the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised

Abstract

Breast cancer and its treatment can significantly affect a woman's body image. As such, it would be useful to understand the importance or value these patients place on their appearance. We evaluated the factor structure of the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised (ASI-R), a measure of body image investment, with a sample of 356 breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, we found that a three-factor model demonstrated an improvement in fit over the original two-factor structure of the ASI-R. These factors were named Appearance Self-Evaluation, Appearance Power/Control, and Appearance Standards and Behavior. The three aforementioned factors demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliabilities. Our findings have implications for the use of the ASI-R in an oncology setting, specifically for breast cancer patients undergoing reconstruction.

Keywords: Body image; Body image investment; Breast cancer; Breast reconstruction; Confirmatory factor analysis; Exploratory factor analysis.