Abstract

SOUZA DE SANTANA CARVALHO, Evanilda; SANTOS PAIVA, Mirian  and  CASADO APARICIO, Elena. Wounded bodies, life altered: social representations of women and men. Index Enferm [online]. 2011, vol.20, n.1-2, pp.31-35. ISSN 1699-5988.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1132-12962011000100007.

Introduction: Men and women having lower limb ulcers cope with a continuous and progressive deterioration which alter their lives physically, socially and emotionally. Objective: To understand the Social Representations concerning men and women's wounded bodies that live with ulcers. Method: Qualitative study with 25 women and 25 men from a public hospital in Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. The data were collected through interviews which were submitted to content analyses. Results: women represent their bodies as disgusting and little attractive. Men represent their bodies as fragile, not capable to work. Conclusions: The representations regarding wounded bodies influence the way ill women and men present their bodies, how they feel before other bodies and how they face the changes caused by the wounds.

Keywords : Illness Behavior; Body modification; Non-therapeutic; Life change events.