Childhood Traumas and Personality Traits' Impact on Rhinoplasty Decision

Yılmaz Y, Aksoy A, Altuntaş EE.

PubMed 39285056 Publisher (DOI)Free full text (PMC)

What this paper says

In 256 Turkish participants, neuroticism, psychoticism, extraversion, and childhood emotional abuse and physical neglect each raised the likelihood of having had rhinoplasty, with family history of rhinoplasty modifying the effect.

Overview

Rhinoplasty seekers are known to be more anxious and to report more adverse childhood experiences, but the influence of personality and trauma on the decision was unclear. The authors compared 106 people who had rhinoplasty, 46 considering it and 104 not considering it, using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (short form) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Sections of note

Neuroticism raised the likelihood of rhinoplasty by 16.3%, rising to 29.3% if a family member had rhinoplasty.
Psychoticism raised it by 15.4% (19.1% with no family history).
Extraversion raised it by 24.4% (30.9% with family history).
Emotional abuse, via neuroticism, raised it by 5.4% (17.7% with family history).
Physical neglect raised it by 17.9% (22% with no family history). Level of Evidence II (as assigned).

What it means for a patient

Personality and early experiences influence who chooses rhinoplasty; this does not mean the choice is wrong.
Having a relative who had rhinoplasty amplified several of these effects.
The study is cross-sectional and cannot show cause; the numbers are model estimates.

Why this paper matters

It links childhood adversity to the rhinoplasty decision, adding to selection and counselling literature. Limits: single country, self-report questionnaires, cross-sectional.

Terms

Neuroticism: tendency toward anxiety and negative emotion.
Psychoticism (Eysenck): a trait dimension covering impulsivity and non-conformity, not psychosis.
Extraversion: sociability and outgoingness.
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire: a self-report measure of abuse and neglect before adulthood.

Summary written by rhinoplasty.cc from the abstract, 2026-09-08; not medical advice. The authors' own abstract follows.

Abstract

Objective: Aesthetic surgeries are increasingly common procedures today, with rhinoplasty being the most frequently performed. The desire for improved appearance is closely linked to an individual's psychological health. It is known that patients seeking rhinoplasty tend to be more anxious and have experienced more negative childhood experiences. However, the impact of personality traits and adverse childhood experiences on the decision to undergo rhinoplasty remains unclear.

Methods: The study included 256 individuals, consisting of 106 who had undergone rhinoplasty, 46 considering rhinoplasty, and 104 not considering rhinoplasty. All participants completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised Short Form and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Results: Neuroticism increased the likelihood of undergoing rhinoplasty by 16.3%, and this rate rose to 29.3% if a family member had undergone rhinoplasty. Psychoticism increased the likelihood by 15.4%, and the rate increased to 19.1% if no family member had undergone rhinoplasty. Extraversion increased the likelihood by 24.4%, and this rose to 30.9% if a family member had undergone rhinoplasty. Emotional abuse, mediated by neuroticism, increased the likelihood of undergoing rhinoplasty by 5.4%, and this increased to 17.7% if a family member had undergone rhinoplasty. Physical neglect increased the likelihood by 17.9%, and this rate rose to 22% if no family member had undergone rhinoplasty.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that both personality traits and childhood traumas influence the decision to undergo rhinoplasty. These results will serve as an important guide for future research.

Level Of Evidence Ii: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Abstract as indexed by PubMed; the article is open access (PubMed Central).