Cosmetic surgery consideration among male and female university students in five ASEAN countries

Although cosmetic surgeries are increasing in frequency, only few studies have investigated cosmetic surgery attitudes in Asia. The aim of the study was to investigate male and female university students’ experiences and attitudes about cosmetic surgery in five ASEAN countries. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey and anthropometric measurement were conducted with undergraduate students that were recruited randomly from classes. The “Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale” (ACSS) was used to determine the prevalence of cosmetic surgery attitudes. The sample included 3319 university students, with a mean age of 20.5 years, SD=1.6, from Indonesia, Malysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Results indicate that the overall mean score of ACSS Consider was 2.98, with the highest in Thailand (4.06), followed by Vietnam (3.05) and the lowest in Indonesia (2.30) and Malaysia (2.39). Among male students, 16.2% and among female students, 26.7% have “sometimes thought about having cosmetic surgery”. In multivariate logistic regression analysis lower intrinsic religiosity, low personal mastery, pathological internet use and depressive symptoms were associated with cosmetic surgery consideration. In addition, among men, having perceived overweight, disordered eating attitudes, lack of social support, PTSD symptoms and having experienced childhood sexual abuse, and among women, being 18-19 years old, not being obese and binge drinking were associated with cosmetic surgery consideration.Keywords: Cosmetic surgery, attitudes, university students, ASEA