Qualidade de vida, imagem corporal e autoestima de pacientes com sequelas bucomaxilofacias candidatos à reabilitação protética

Abstract

The head and neck cancer, as well as its treatment, cause major aesthetic and basic functions changes for the patient and may cause changes in Quality of Life, Body Image and Self- Esteem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Quality of Life, Body Image and Self- Esteem in patients with head and neck cancer in the city of Natal-RN candidates for prosthetic rehabilitation. We conducted a cross-sectional study. For data collection was used a sociodemographic questionnaire, the University of Washington’s evaluation questionnaire, the Body Investment Scale, the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The sample consisted of 10 patients (06 men and 04 women), aged between 35 and 82 years old. The results showed that the best scores at UW-QoL scale were in the shoulder area. The worst scores were in the chewing area for men and speech area for women. Among the areas of Investment Body Scale, body care domain showed a significant difference between men and women, noting that after treatment of CCP women exercise greater care over their own bodies. The self-esteem of survey participants ranked among medium and high, indicating the existence of positive self-worth, with no significant difference between men and women. There was a significant correlation between the overall quality of life and body image, indicating that the better the quality of life, the better the relationship with body image. Through this study it was observed that for patients with head and neck cancer, the functional aspects are the most significant to achieve a better QoL, and that there is a relationship between body image and quality of life in these patients.