How does the experience of shame impact body dysmorphic symptomatology? Exploring the role of mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion

Abstract

Shame has been considered a core component of body dysmorphia-related symptomatology. However, literature concerning the emotion regulation processes that underlie the association between these two constructs seems to be scarce. Therefore, the main aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the role that mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion has on the relationship between the experience of shame and body dysmorphia-related symptomatology Additionally, biological sex differences concerning the studied variables were explored. Three hundred and twenty-seven participants (male and female) above 18 years old completed an online survey with self-report measures to assess shame experiences, mindfulness, body image-related cognitive fusion and body dysmorphia-related symptoms. Results indicated that female participants presented higher body dysmorphia-related symptomatology when compared with males. A path analysis was conducted suggesting that, while controlling for the effect of age and BMI, the experience of shame had a direct effect on body dysmorphia-related symptomatology, as well as an indirect effect through mindfulness and body image-related cognitive fusion. This model presented a good fit, explaining 56% of the variance of body dysmorphia-related symptomatology. Also, findings from a multi-group path analysis revealed that the relationship between these variables is invariant across males and females. These findings have important research and clinical implications, supporting the importance of targeting mindfulness and cognitive defusion skills when working in the context of Body Dysmorphia.