Looking bad: Female patients drawing their representation of chemotherapy-induced alopecia

This study explored the experienced impact of alopecia using patient’s drawings. Forty patients made drawings of their feelings about appearance of their head and hair before and during chemotherapy. Patients also reported illness perceptions (B-IPQ). Twenty-four patients (60%) reported ⩾50% alopeci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of health psychology Vol. 27; no. 13; pp. 3013 - 3027
Main Authors Versluis, Anne, Alphen, Kirsten van, Dercksen, Wouter, Haas, Henk de, Kaptein, Ad A, Hurk, Corina van den
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.11.2022
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Alopecia
Chemotherapy
Emotions
Hair
Health care
cancer
appearance
illness perceptions
chemotherapy-induced alopecia
drawings
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Summary:This study explored the experienced impact of alopecia using patient’s drawings. Forty patients made drawings of their feelings about appearance of their head and hair before and during chemotherapy. Patients also reported illness perceptions (B-IPQ). Twenty-four patients (60%) reported ⩾50% alopecia at enrollment. Most patients (70%) drew a negative change of feelings over time and physical changes. Many experiences related to alopecia emerged from the written texts underneath the drawings and the B-IPQ. Drawings depicted deteriorated feelings of appearance, affecting many activities throughout the day. Healthcare providers are advised to use patient-tailored questioning about alopecia.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1359-1053
1461-7277
DOI:10.1177/13591053221075503