Profiles of resources and body image in health and illness: A comparative study among females with rheumatoid arthritis, females with breast cancer and healthy controls

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine whether or not profiles of resources (i.e., a multifaceted picture that simultaneously includes different types of resources), as described by the conservation of resources (COR) theory, and profiles of body image (i.e., a multidimensional picture that simultaneously includes different aspects of body image) differ between females that represent two clinical samples (rheumatoid arthritis [RA]; breast cancer [BC]) and a healthy control group. METHOD: The sample comprised 328 females, including 141 women with RA, 102 with a BC diagnosis, and 85 healthy women as a control group, and was collected from the general population. To measure the level of COR resources in each participant, we used the COR evaluation questionnaire (COR‐E). Participants' body image was assessed with the aid of the Multidimensional Body‐Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). RESULTS: A discriminant analysis revealed that females from the clinical groups differed with respect to their profiles of some resources and body image when compared to those of the healthy control group. In addition, we found differences in body image evaluations between women with RA and women with BC. CONCLUSIONS: Women with RA or BC differ substantially with respect to their subjectively assessed resources and body image when compared to women with no chronic diseases. Therefore, psychological counselling designed for females with RA or BC should be employed to help them restore the aspects altered by their respective illnesses.