Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms and Body Checking in Women and Men

Abstract

The present study examined the association between obsessive–compulsive symptoms and body checking behavior in a non-clinical sample of women and men. We also examined whether perfectionism and negative affect would account for a significant proportion of the variance in that association. Participants (n = 303; 45% women) completed measures of obsessive–compulsive symptoms, perfectionism, negative affect, body checking, and body dissatisfaction. Obsessive–compulsive symptoms were significantly correlated with body checking even after controlling for perfectionism. Path analyses showed that negative affect fully mediated the relation between obsessive–compulsive symptoms and body checking in women, but only partially mediated the relation in men. Finally, body checking was positively associated with body dissatisfaction, even when controlling for all other variables. Our findings highlight the importance of examining perfectionism and negative affect when considering the association between obsessive–compulsive symptoms and body image concerns, and also suggest an important role for body checking in these associations.