Effects of the appearance care on psychosocial outcomes for breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To synthesize the evidence for the immediate and short-term effects of appearance care on psychosocial outcomes in breast cancer patients in order to inform the design of future research and clinical practice.

Methods: A search of four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science). The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists were used by two reviewers to assess methodology quality. Subgroup analysis was conducted for the different time points measured after intervention.

Results: Seven studies were eligible for the meta-analysis, including two RCTs and five quasi-experimental studies, from 1994 to 2022. The type of intervention was mainly grouped education, led by beauty specialists, and the dose and frequency varied. The quality of included studies was moderate to high. The results showed that appearance care had positive immediate effect on self-esteem (SMD = 0.63, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.89), anxiety (SMD = - 0.46, 95% CI - 0.60 to - 0.31), and depression (SMD = - 0.41, 95% CI - 0.62 to - 0.19), with short-term effects on anxiety (SMD = - 0.42, 95% CI - 0.54 to - 0.34), depression (SMD = - 0.41, 95% CI - 0.55 to - 0.26), and sexual function (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.81).The effect of appearance care on body image and quality of life was uncertain.

Conclusion: Appearance care could be a promising intervention to improve self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and sexual function among patients with breast cancer. More high-quality RCTs are needed to validate these findings. Online appearance care programs and exploration of long-term effects should also be considered.

Keywords: Anxiety and depression; Appearance care; Body image; Quality of life; Self-esteem; Sexual function.