A comparative study of body image in adolescents with beta-thalassemia major with healthy individuals

Physical abnormalities in patients with beta-thalassemia major might potentially have a negative impact on the patients’ body image (BI). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the BI of thalassemic adolescents in Southeast Iran in comparison with healthy peers.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 94 individuals in Ali Asghar Hospital in Zahedan in 2020. A total of 46 teenagers with beta-thalassemia major and 48 healthy individuals, both groups in a range of 11-18 years of age, were entered into the study. Evaluation of the BI was performed by using the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire. All statistical analyses were performed by SPSS software. Obtained data were displayed by using descriptive statistical methods. Independent t-test and ANOVA were applied to compare the scores of different groups. The P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

The statistical analyses revealed a significant difference in the Appearance Evaluation, Fitness Evaluation, Fitness Orientation, and Body Areas Satisfaction scales, with a higher score of the thalassemic group in the first three items. (p<0.05). The difference between the two groups was not significant in Appearance Orientation and Subjective Weight scales (P>0.05).

An unfavorable BI in adolescents with thalassemia, as a kind of psychiatric disorder, emphasizes the need for emotional and social supports by family, medical staff and peers.