Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being

Background: An increasing number of women are undergoing labiaplasty procedures; however, very little is known about the psychological factors that motivate women to seek out this procedure. Objectives: To investigate the factors that influence women's decisions to undergo labiaplasty. Methods:...

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Main Authors: Sharp, Gemma, Tiggemann, M., Mattiske, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Oxford University Press 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10903
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author Sharp, Gemma
Tiggemann, M.
Mattiske, J.
author_facet Sharp, Gemma
Tiggemann, M.
Mattiske, J.
author_sort Sharp, Gemma
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: An increasing number of women are undergoing labiaplasty procedures; however, very little is known about the psychological factors that motivate women to seek out this procedure. Objectives: To investigate the factors that influence women's decisions to undergo labiaplasty. Methods: Women seeking to undergo labiaplasty (n = 35) were compared with women who were not (n = 30). Standardized measures were employed to assess the patients' media exposure (television, the Internet, advertising, pornography), relationship quality, and psychological well-being. Results Women's motivations for deciding to undergo a labiaplasty procedure were characterized as “appearance,” “functional,” “sexual,” or “psychological” motivations, with concerns about the labia's appearance being the most commonly reported motivation. Correspondingly, women seeking labiaplasty were significantly less satisfied with the appearance of their genitals than the comparison group (P < .001). These women had also experienced greater exposure to images of female genitalia on the Internet (P = .004) and in advertisements (P = .021), and had internalized these images to a greater extent (P = .010). There were no differences between the two groups on the measures of relationship quality. However, significantly fewer of the women seeking to undergo a labiaplasty procedure were involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the study (P = .039). There were also no differences between the two groups on the measures of psychological well-being, except that women seeking to undergo labiaplasty were less satisfied with their lives overall (P = .027). Conclusions: The findings identified media exposure and relationship status as important factors that influence women's decisions to undergo labiaplasty.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-109032017-09-13T14:55:05Z Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being Sharp, Gemma Tiggemann, M. Mattiske, J. Background: An increasing number of women are undergoing labiaplasty procedures; however, very little is known about the psychological factors that motivate women to seek out this procedure. Objectives: To investigate the factors that influence women's decisions to undergo labiaplasty. Methods: Women seeking to undergo labiaplasty (n = 35) were compared with women who were not (n = 30). Standardized measures were employed to assess the patients' media exposure (television, the Internet, advertising, pornography), relationship quality, and psychological well-being. Results Women's motivations for deciding to undergo a labiaplasty procedure were characterized as “appearance,” “functional,” “sexual,” or “psychological” motivations, with concerns about the labia's appearance being the most commonly reported motivation. Correspondingly, women seeking labiaplasty were significantly less satisfied with the appearance of their genitals than the comparison group (P < .001). These women had also experienced greater exposure to images of female genitalia on the Internet (P = .004) and in advertisements (P = .021), and had internalized these images to a greater extent (P = .010). There were no differences between the two groups on the measures of relationship quality. However, significantly fewer of the women seeking to undergo a labiaplasty procedure were involved in a romantic relationship at the time of the study (P = .039). There were also no differences between the two groups on the measures of psychological well-being, except that women seeking to undergo labiaplasty were less satisfied with their lives overall (P = .027). Conclusions: The findings identified media exposure and relationship status as important factors that influence women's decisions to undergo labiaplasty. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10903 10.1093/asj/sjv270 Oxford University Press unknown
spellingShingle Sharp, Gemma
Tiggemann, M.
Mattiske, J.
Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title_full Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title_fullStr Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title_full_unstemmed Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title_short Factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: Media, relationships, and psychological well-being
title_sort factors that influence the decision to undergo labiaplasty: media, relationships, and psychological well-being
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10903