This study analyzed comments posted in response to actress Angelina Jolie's disclosure of undergoing a preventative double mastectomy after learning she carried the BRCA1 genetic mutation. The comments elicited discussions of body image and appearance concerns following breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Five themes emerged from comments discussing experiences: fear of being disfigured versus being healthy, perceptions of breast appearance after surgery, partner acceptance of appearance after surgery, beliefs about others' reactions, and beliefs about reconstructive surgery. The study highlights ongoing body image concerns women face after mastectomy and suggests celebrity disclosures can help reduce stigma and raise awareness of long-term effects.

1. improved when spiritual intervention is paired with
standard psychiatric care.
Clinical Implications: Assessing spirituality in patients
who endorse spiritual distress and referring out to a
spiritual provider could help ameliorate with psychiatric
symptomology.
Funding: This work was supported by The Hackett Family.
P2-52
“I’m Now the Owner of Two Quirky Looking
Breasts”: Elicitation of Body Image and
Appearances Concerns Following a Celebrity’s
Disclosure of Prophylactic Mastectomy
Lauren Dial1
, Janna Gordon2
, Sarah Mills2,4
, Julia Drizin1
,
Lily Guitierrez1
, Laura Barnes3
, Vanessa Malcarne2,4
,
Elizabeth Klonoff1,2
, Allison Vaughn1,2
, Kristen Wells1,2
1
San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA,
2
San Diego State University/ University of California, San
Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology,
San Diego, California, USA, 3
University of Virginia,
Systems and Information Engineering, Charlottesville,
Virginia, USA, 4
University of California, San Diego
Moores Cancer Center, San Diego, California, USA
PURPOSE: In an op-ed posted on the New York Times
(NYT) website in May 2013, Angelina Jolie, an Academy
Award winning actress and internationally known humani-
tarian, disclosed that she chose to receive a prophylactic bilat-
eral mastectomy after learning she carries the BRCA 1
genetic mutation. Readers provided comments to the online
op-ed for three days, after which the NYT closed their com-
ment section. Commenters shared varying opinions and reac-
tions to Ms. Jolie’s disclosure. This study presents an analysis
of one emerging theme identified in the comments, body im-
age and appearance concerns in relation to experiences with
breast cancer, diagnosis, and treatment. METHODS: 1,712
comments were posted on the NYT website in response to
Jolie’s op-ed titled “My Medical Choice.” After duplicate
comments were removed, 1,706 comments and sub-com-
ments were coded using conventional content analysis with
NVivo 10. Comments assigned the code “Experiences with
Cancer – Body Image/Appearance” were reviewed further
for any emergent subthemes. RESULTS: Sixty-one com-
ments addressed experiences with cancer regarding body
image or appearance concerns. From these comments, five
subthemes were identified: fear of being disfigured or
scarred opposed to being healthy and worry-free (Vanity
vs. Health; n=27), perception of breast appearance fol-
lowing surgery (n=19), partner acceptance of appearance
following surgery (n=8), beliefs about others’ reactions
regarding appearance and body image following surgery
(n=8), and beliefs about reconstructive surgery (n=7).
Several comments addressed multiple subthemes, thus
the total number of comments exceeds 61.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, commenters expressed a vari-
ety of opinions and concerns related to experiences with
mastectomy due to breast cancer diagnosis or known
BRCA mutation. Commenters who had themselves received
mastectomies provided both negative and positive appraisals
of their own appearance. While some commenters shared
body image concerns following mastectomy, many were re-
lieved to have undergone the procedure, valuing good health
over appearance. Although most women stated that their
romantic partners praised their appearance following surgery,
they worried about how they were perceived by the public (i.
e., strangers and acquaintances).
Research Implications: This study highlights body image
concerns among women who have received mastectomies.
Furthermore, this study has identified psychosocial factors
salient among women recovering from mastectomy. These
findings suggest that public figures disclosing a health deci-
sion can evoke dialogue about issues rarely discussed in
public forums. This disclosure and discussion may help re-
duce social stigma as well as raise awareness about the
long-term physical and psychological effects of mastec-
tomy. Further research is needed to understand how celeb-
rity discourse can influence cancer communication.
Clinical Implications: Ms. Jolie’s op-ed elicited numerous
public comments citing body image and appearance con-
cerns following mastectomy. These comments suggest that
women may continue to harbor distress related to their mas-
tectomy after the procedure is complete. Healthcare and
supportive care providers should be aware of and sensitive
to this issue and be prepared to talk about such concerns
with their patients, both before and following surgery.
Funding: This research was supported by grants from the
National Cancer Institute (U54CA132384, U54CA132379).
P2-53
A Personalized Intervention Targeting Fear of
Recurrence in Breast Cancer Survivors
Elizabeth Slivjak1
, Greta Jankauskaite1
, Kailey Roberts1
,
Malwina Tuman2
, Courtney Beard3
, William S.
Breitbart1
, Wendy G. Lichtenthal1
1
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York,
NY, USA, 2
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY,
USA, 3
McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School,
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
PURPOSE: Fear of recurrence (FOR) is a common source
of distress among breast cancer survivors (BCS), yet inter-
ventions designed to reduce FOR are lacking. To address
this important need, the current pilot study adapted a
147Poster Abstracts
© 2016 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Psycho-Oncology 25 (Suppl. 2): 1–155 (2016)
DOI: 10.1002/pon