title: The protective effect of a satisfying romantic relationship on women's body image after breast cancer: a longitudinal study.
abstract: To examine the protective role of relationship satisfaction on body image in women with breast cancer throughout the first year post-surgery.
  
  
  
  Seventy-four Swiss patients engaged in a relationship filled out a questionnaire assessing body image disturbance 2 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery. A univariate latent change score model was used to analyze the evolution of body image disturbance and the contribution of relationship satisfaction to body image disturbance.
  
  
  
  Women who were satisfied with their relationship reported less body image disturbance than did dissatisfied women at 2 weeks post-surgery. Being married was also associated with less body image disturbance at that time. The protective effect of these relational variables was still observable 1 year later. Changes in body image disturbance over time were explained by the negative impacts of mastectomy and chemotherapy.
  
  
  
  How women perceive the impact of breast cancer treatment on their body may be partly determined by the quality of the relational context in which they live.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cairo Notari
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Notari
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Favez
authors.affiliation: Senology Unit, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Delaloye
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ghisletta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D065840:Protective Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: body image; breast cancer; longitudinal trajectories; marital status; oncology; relationship satisfaction