Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies, Body Image, and Sexual Satisfaction in Women with and without a History of Hysterectomy and Mastectomy Surgeries

Uterus and breasts are an important part of a woman's sexual self-image. Given the psychological effects of the removal of female organs on body esteem and psychological adjustment and coping of individuals, the present study aimed to compare the cognitive emotion regulation strategies, body image, and sexual satisfaction of women with and without a history of hysterectomy and mastectomy surgeries.

This causal-comparative research was performed on 135 women (45 with a history of hysterectomy and 45 with a history of mastectomy, and 45 normal) selected by convenience sampling in Rasht, Iran in 2019. The participants completed the Garnefsky's Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P), Littleton's Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), and Short Form Sexual Functioning Scale (FSFI-6) voluntarily.

In this study, there was a significant difference among the three groups of women in terms of the cognitive emotion regulation strategies; in this regard, the strategies of women with a history of mastectomy (31.13%) were more compromised, compared to women with a history of hysterectomy (28.53%). Regarding body image, women undergoing a mastectomy (68%) were more concerned with their body image, compared to those undergoing a hysterectomy (43.77%). On the other hand, women in the hysterectomy group (18.11%) had a lower sexual satisfaction, compared to the subjects in the mastectomy group (19.49%). In addition, normal women were more balanced in terms of cognitive emotion regulation strategies, body image concerns, and sexual satisfaction.

According to the results of the study, the type of cognitive emotion regulation strategy of women with a history of hysterectomy and mastectomy surgeries affected their sexual satisfaction and performance. Furthermore, mastectomy had a greater negative impact on the body image of individuals.