Table 2.
Descriptive Information Regarding Reasons to Choose or Not Choose Breast Reconstruction
| Item | M (SD) |
|---|---|
| Reasons to choose BR (17 items) | |
| Wearing an external breast prosthesis would be uncomfortable for me. | 3.62 (1.10) |
| It is important to me to be able to wear the same kind of clothing I wore before my breast cancer and I’d like to have the freedom to wear low–cut tops. | 3.87 (1.07) |
| I would feel self-conscious going out socially if I did not have a normal breast shape under my clothes. | 3.87 (0.96) |
| It is important to me to be able to wear a regular bra like I before I had a mastectomy. | 3.76 (0.94) |
| My sense of feeling like a woman is really related to how my breasts look. | 3.20 (1.34) |
| Breast reconstruction surgery would help me feel whole again. | 3.98 (0.93) |
| Having my breasts be equal in size is important to me. | 4.38 (0.78) |
| Breast reconstruction surgery would help me to forget about having breast cancer | 2.49 (1.30) |
| After having a mastectomy, I want my breasts to look the way they did before my breast cancer | 3.49 (1.07) |
| My breasts contribute to me feeling more confident and sexy. | 3.46 (1.10) |
| Breast reconstruction surgery would help to improve my relationship with my spouse or with my partner after the mastectomy. | 2.64 (1.16) |
| Breast reconstruction would help to improve my sexual relationship with my partner.a | 2.73 (1.04) |
| Breast reconstruction would allow me to feel more comfortable and confident around my partner.b | 3.39 (1.20) |
| It would bother me to look in the mirror and see a scar with no breast. | 4.02 (1.18) |
| I prefer to wake up after the mastectomy and have a breast there. | 4.13 (0.88) |
| My partner has told me he or she wants me to have breast reconstruction.c | 2.42 (1.38) |
| I would feel more desirable if I had a normally-shaped breast. | 3.62 (1.16) |
| Reasons not to choose BR (8 items) | |
| I do not feel comfortable asking my doctor about breast reconstruction surgery. | 1.31 (0.47) |
| I don’t like the idea of having something unnatural like a breast implant put into my body. | 2.58 (1.21) |
| I do not want to have any more surgeries than I need to. | 3.93 (1.17) |
| I worry about risks and possible complications involved with breast reconstruction surgery. | 3.76 (0.96) |
| I’m not impressed with the results from breast reconstruction surgeries that I have seen in other women. | 2.47 (0.86) |
| I worry about long-term problems that may happen after breast reconstruction surgery such as scarring or pain. | 3.27 (1.04) |
| Breast reconstruction surgery would be too expensive. | 2.45 (0.92) |
| I’m not comfortable having a scar on my back or abdomen or thighs from breast reconstruction surgery (to build a new breast). | 2.53 (1.09) |
| Items Not Included in the Final Scales (8 items) | |
| I feel I am too old to consider breast reconstruction. | 1.65 (1.11) |
| Breast reconstruction surgery is not essential for my emotional well-being. | 2.09 (1.06) |
| I don’t know how to talk with my partner about reconstruction. | 1.57 (0.67) |
| My partner does not really care if I have breast reconstruction.b | 3.26 (1.11) |
| I do not know enough about the risks of breast reconstruction to make a decision about it. | 3.02 (1.25) |
| I do not know enough about the possible benefits of breast reconstruction to make a decision about it. | 2.67 (1.25) |
| I would not feel confident dating unless I had a reconstructed breast.d | 3.50 (1.65)a |
| I do not know what questions to ask my doctor about breast reconstruction.a | 2.78 (1.24) |
a
N = 54
b
N = 51
c
N = 52
d
N = 45.