A prospective study of patients' psychological reactions to rhinoplasty

Abstract

One hundred twenty-one of 200 patients requesting a rhinoplasty completed a study designed to assess their psychological reactions to the operation. Preoperatively, each patient filled out a questionnaire about their expectations (both cosmetic and psychological), relationships, self-confidence, self-esteem, what they disliked about their noses, and other questions pertinent to an evaluation of the psychological effects of rhinoplasty. They also completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), a standardized psychological test. One month and 6 months postoperatively, they completed similar questionnaires. Preoperative and postoperative information was also obtained from the surgeon and nurse. Statistical analysis showed several interesting findings. A number of patients had increased self-confidence and self-esteem. Male patients did not show any sustained changes on the BSI, but female patients did with improved scores on the obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and phobic anxiety scales. A number of patients described mild-to-moderate depression postoperatively. This was correlated with preoperatively high levels of anxiety. The surgeon was usually more critical of the surgical result than were the patients. The patients whose strong positive feelings about the results he most misjudged were actually depressed. These and other findings are noteworthy to enhance the understanding of postoperative psychological reactions and provide insight into the psychological management of rhinoplasty patients.