The relationship between cosmetic surgery, body image, self-esteem, and relationship satisfaction in young adults: A model suggestion

As the number of people seeking cosmetic surgery grows rapidly across the world, the average age at which people seek cosmetic surgery is steadily declining. Young adulthood is the period in which identity construction develops. Body image is a crucial component of identity. The aim of this study was to explore the mediating impact of self-esteem and romantic relationship satisfaction, two significant psychological variables associated with cosmetic surgery, on the relationship between cosmetic surgery seeking and body image in young adults. The study group consists of 394 individuals, 293 female and 101 male university students aged 18-25. The participants were administered the Sociodemographic Information Questionnaire, the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS), the Body Image Questionnaire (BIQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Multidimensional Relationship Questionnaire (MRQ). As a result of the analyzes performed, it was determined that self-esteem had a mediator role in the relationship between body image and cosmetic surgery acceptance scores. Relational satisfaction, relational anxiety, relational monitoring, relational esteem sub-dimensions of relationship satisfaction had a partial mediator role in the body image and cosmetic surgery acceptance scores. Our results draw attention to the fact that other mental factors besides body perception also have important effects on motivating for cosmetic surgery.