Sex, physical attractiveness, and perceived risk for mental illness.

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between sex, physical attractiveness, and perceived risk for mental illness. A random sample consisting of 120 males and 120 females was recruited at various locations on a large Northeastern university campus and asked to fill out a questionnaire that dealth with "how they might behave in the future." This questionnaire contained brief descriptions of 12 mental disorders. Each description was written to be consistent with a type of mental disorder discussed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). The questionnaire was developed through prior scaling in two separate samples and included disorders that differed in their rated severity as well as in their reported differential incidence in males and females. Results of multiple regression analyses, in which sex, rated physical attractiveness of the subject, type of mental disorder, and their interactions served as predictors, and perceived risk for mental illness served as the criterion indicated that decreased attractiveness was associated with an increasing belief in susceptibility to mental illness (p less than .05). Several additional predicted effects did not emerge. Results were interpreted to indicate another link between physical attractiveness and mental illness. Limitations to the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.