Effects of Breast Surgery on Interoceptive Awareness in Females.

Background: The driving force for many seeking plastic surgery is comfort in one's body. Along with comfort come satisfaction, improved self-awareness, and potential change in interoceptive awareness-a term defined as the conscious perception of one's body. Although conscious perception of bodily signals is influenced by many factors, sense of self and body image play significant roles. Studies show diminished interoceptive awareness in those with negative body image, but no research has assessed the impact of change in body image on interoceptive awareness.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate how interoceptive awareness changes following elective breast surgery.

Methods: The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Version 2 (MAIA-2) was administered to females undergoing breast surgery. A baseline survey was administered preoperatively, with follow-up surveys at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively.

Results: Data were collected from 39 females and analyzed using paired t-tests to compare MAIA-2 overall and subscores over time. Significance was seen at 1 week for subcategories of "not distracting" and "trust," at 1 month for "trust," and 3 months for "not worrying," "emotional awareness," "self-regulation," and "trust." Overall survey averages were significantly increased at all postoperative intervals.

Conclusions: From this study, it can be concluded that breast surgery positively impacts interoceptive awareness. These findings are clinically relevant as they offer providers' insight into the psychological effects of breast procedures. A comprehensive understanding of procedure outcomes enables providers to educate patients on both anticipated physical results and changes in sense of self.

Level of evidence 2: