[Awkward bodies, but not forgotten: representations of women and men about their wounded bodies]

Rev Bras Enferm. 2013 Jan-Feb;66(1):90-6. doi: 10.1590/s0034-71672013000100014.
[Article in Portuguese]

Abstract

In this qualitative study, which aimed to capture and analyze the representations of the body injured, it were collected, through in-depth interviews, the discourses of eighteen adults, with chronic wounds, users of an outpatient service of a public hospital in the city of Salvador-BA, that cares of wounded individuals. From the analysis of the statements, through Thematic Content Analysis, emerged the following categories, related to the wounded body: It is a strange that promotes suffering; It is constantly watched; It is rejected; It is a prisoner; It is vulnerable to violence; It requires special care, and It is a body in grief. Such representations are anchored in negative images and suffering, and reveal that, very different from the idealized body, the wounded body promotes mixed feelings and self-deprecating. The results showed that people with chronic wounds consider their own bodies as awkward; they experience negative feelings about their image, and mobilize alternatives for self-care and personal presentation, distinct from those activated before chronic state.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Attitude to Health*
  • Body Image*
  • Chronic Disease / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Young Adult