Coming to terms: a grounded theory of adaptation to facial surgery in adulthood

Facial surgery is associated with both functional difficulties and disfigurement, and there is evidence to show that psychosocial outcomes vary widely between individuals. This article reports the findings of a grounded theory study of the predictors and process of adaptation to facial surgery in adulthood. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 29 facial surgery survivors. Four super-ordinate data categories were generated, namely ‘Demands’,‘Resources’, ‘Responding and managing’ and ‘Consequences’. A model of adaptation was developed which reflected the inter-relationships apparent between these categories. Data extracts are presented to illustrate the grounding of the model in participants’ accounts, and the model is discussed with reference to previous theory and research.