Investigating the relationship between self-esteem and body image in patients scheduled for rhinoplasty

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body image and self-esteem in patients scheduled for rhinoplasty. Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the otorhinolaryngology clinic of a public hospital between September 2022 and June 2023. The sample consisted of 78 patients who volunteered to participate in the study. The personal information form, body image scale and Rosenberg self-esteem scale were used in the study. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: The study revealed that 41 (52.6%) of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 25, with the majority, 53 (67.9%), being female. The participants displayed high levels of self-esteem (1.18±1.38) and positive body image (157.22±21.56). The scores for self-esteem and body image were similar for different characteristics including age, gender, marital status, education level, occupation/employment, income–expenditure, having children and chronic disease (p>0.05). However, it was noted that individuals without a history of aesthetic surgery had significantly higher body image scores, while those who had undergone aesthetic surgery had higher self-esteem scores (p<0.05). Conclusion and recommendations: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that patients who are scheduled for rhinoplasty have high self-esteem and positive body image. Furthermore, there was a weak negative correlation found between body image and self-esteem.