Exploring people's experience of appearance-altering orthognathic surgery

A review of the literature reporting psychosocial outcomes of orthognathic surgery has generally shown that patients experience positive gains. These are discussed within five main areas – appearance-related outcomes, self-concept, social functioning, satisfaction with treatment and mental health. The influence on outcomes of gender, age and severity are discussed, as well as the stability of outcomes over time. There are considerable conceptual and methodological issues with the study designs such as the differing definition of concepts and wide variety of measurement approaches used, which makes comparison across studies difficult. Areas for future research, including the role of psychological support for patients, are discussed. Qualitative exploration of the experience of seven people undergoing orthognathic treatment was undertaken. Participants were each interviewed before and after surgery and this data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four major themes were reported which describe the experience of treatment as a long and at times challenging process, the role of appearance issues in their identity, the influence of the views of others and their experiences of uncertainty. The contribution of these results to the understanding of psychological theories of appearance is discussed and avenues for future research, such as exploring clinician-patient communication, are put forward.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo