J Nurs Acad Soc.  1982 Dec;12(2):80-90.

A Study of the Influence of Illness on Body Image and Self Concept: Specifically in Children with Asthma

• Jang HS

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the influence of a chronic disease on body image, and to show that body image is directly related to one's self concept. Body image is the concept of one's own body based on present and past perception, and is related to one's self concept. Body image is a dynamic concept constantly changing throughout the life cycle but it changes greatly in illness, surgery, and accident. The child with a chronic disease experiences pain and immobilization due to illness and he/she experiences a strange environment in the hospital. Illness often brings feeling of frustration and loss of self-esteem. Therefore this study was done to compare the body image of a child with a chronic disease (Asthma), with that of a normal healthy child, and to determine the relationship between the body image and self concept. The subjects in this study were 36 children being treated for asthma at the allergy clinic of Y University Hospital in Seoul (patient group) and 44 children attending elementary school in Kwanak Ku Seoul (normal healthy group). For the measurement of the body image, the researcher used Secord & Jourard's Body Cathexis Scale, and another scale which was constructed after reading about Osgood's Semantic Differential Method. For the measurement of the self concept, the researcher used Jacox & Stewart's Health Self Concept. The period for data collection was from October 7th to October 27th, 1982. The analysis of data was done by use of Percentage, t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and ANOVA. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The first hypothesis, "That the chronically ill (Asthma) child will have a more negative body image than the normal healthy child." was supported. 2. The second hypothesis, "The more negative the body image, the lower the self concept." was also supported. 3. The researcher failed to obtain statistically significant results in the analysis of the general Characteristics which affect the body image except in the case of the older child as compare to the younger child having a more positive body image (r=. 2751, r=. 2481, p<. 05). However it was found that, 1) Boy's have a more positive body image than girls (Mean=[37.81,141.09], [37.00,126.54]). 2) The child who has been hospitalized has a more negative body image than the child' who has never been hospitalized (Mean=[33.25,122.45], [35.68,129.93]). 3) The younger the child when the disease is discovered and diagnosed, the more negative the body image (Onset of Illness: Mean= [31.44,117.33], [34.00,103.50], [35.75,140.38], [36.33,130.00], Time of Diagnosis: Mean= [29. 00, 117. 33], [33.89,115.00], [33.36,124.93], [37.70,139.20]). In conclusion the chronically ill (Asthma) child has a more negative body image than the normal healthy child, and the more negative the body image the lower the self concept. Therefore the concept of body image is useful in understanding the influences of chronic disease on body image and self concept.

MeSH Terms

Asthma*
Body Image*
Cathexis
Child*
Chronic Disease
Data Collection
Diagnosis
Female
Frustration
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Immobilization
Life Cycle Stages
Self Concept*
Semantic Differential
Seoul