Development Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Research Articles

The association between use of social media and the development of body dysmorphic disorder and attitudes toward cosmetic surgeries: a national survey.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) causes distress due to one's negative appraisal of their body image. The development of BDD has been linked to the passive use of social media and photo-editing apps. People with BDD typically pursue cosmetic surgeries to remedy their perceived flaws. The dramatic increase in the use of photo-editing apps and their well-established effects on mental health is a public health concern. To study the association between use of social media and the development of BDD and acceptance toward cosmetic surgeries (ACSS) among Saudis. An online, cross-sectional, validated survey conducted among Saudis 18 and older. Descriptive analyses were utilized for demographics and prevalence rates of main study variables. ANOVA was used to compare mean scores in BDD and ACSS among different demographic groups. Tukeys post-hoc test was done to identify the categories that were different when the ANOVA test showed a statistically significance. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 1,483 Saudi adults completed the questionnaire. Key results showed that BDD was found in 24.4 % of the sample. The percentage of participants with BDD who spent 4-7 h per day on Instagram and Snapchat (29%) was significantly higher than those who spent only less than an hour per day on these platforms (19%) (p < 0.001). Individuals with BDD had a significantly higher risk of accepting cosmetic surgery compared to those without BDD (p < 0.001). A growing body of evidence suggests that social media may impact mental health in different ways. This study reveals that heavy use of these platforms is associated with negative appraisals about one's physical appearance, and it fosters one's tendency toward cosmetic surgery, especially among females.

Childhood maltreatment and trauma is common and severe in body dysmorphic disorder

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment and trauma may be risk factors for the development of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). However, the limited research to date on these topics has been constrained by either the absence of a matched healthy control group or non-comprehensive assessments. MethodsThis study assessed the prevalence and severity of childhood maltreatment and other traumatic events in 52 BDD participants (56% female) and 57 matched controls (51% female) with no history of mental illness, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and a checklist assessing broader traumatic events. ResultsIn comparison with controls, participants with BDD showed a higher prevalence of emotional abuse (61.5% vs. 33.3%) and physical neglect (59.6% vs. 28.1%), as well as more severe overall maltreatment, emotional abuse, and emotional and physical neglect. BDD participants were also more likely to meet cut-offs for multiple types of maltreatment and reported an elevated number and variety of broader traumatic childhood events (e.g., life-threatening illness). In BDD, increasingly severe maltreatment was correlated with greater severity of BDD symptoms, anxiety and suicidal ideation. ConclusionsThese data suggest that childhood maltreatment and exposure to other traumatic events are common and severe in BDD and are cross-sectionally associated with the severity of clinical symptoms. Adversity linked to maladaptive family functioning during childhood may therefore be especially relevant to people with BDD and could relate to social and emotional processing problems in the disorder.

Psychosocial risk and body dysmorphic disorder: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by a debilitating preoccupation with perceived appearance defects that are not noticeable to others. The International OCD Foundation estimates nearly 1 in 50 individuals in the United States meet the diagnostic criteria for this disorder; however, despite its prevalence, many social work professionals lack familiarity with this diagnosis. Using PRISMA-P reporting guidelines, this article presents a systematic review of studies examining individual, interpersonal, and environmental risks in the development of BDD. Implications for social work practice and suggestions for further research are discussed Table 1.

Experimental induction of self-focused attention via mirror gazing: Effects on body image, appraisals, body-focused shame, and self-esteem

Cognitive and behavioural models of body dysmorphic disorder posit that selective self-focused attention via mirror gazing plays a key role in the aetiology and maintenance of the disorder. However, there is little empirical support for these theoretical claims. This study aimed to induce self-focused attention via mirror gazing to examine the proposed theoretical effects on body image, distress, body-focused shame, and self-esteem. Fifty-one non-clinical participants (78.43% female) were randomly allocated to one of the two conditions: low self-focused attention (i.e., looking into a mirror placed 100 cm/ 39 in away) vs. high self-focused attention (i.e., focusing on a disliked part in a mirror placed 10 cm/ 4 in away). Following 5 min of mirror gazing, the high self-focused attention condition experienced decreased satisfaction with appearance, perceived attractiveness, and self-esteem, and increased distress about appearance, distress about disliked parts, urges to change appearance, and body-focused shame. Approaching the mirror from a distance appeared to have no effect. Findings are consistent with theories suggesting that self-focused attention and mirror behaviours might contribute to the development of body dysmorphic disorder and maintain its psychological effects.

Is perfectionism a risk factor for adolescent body dysmorphic symptoms? Evidence for a prospective association.

The current study tested the hypothesis that perfectionism is a risk factor for the development of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), as proposed by prevailing cognitive behavioural models. School students aged 14–16 years completed questionnaires 6 months apart (Time 1: N = 302; Time 2: N = 68) assessing perfectionism, BDD symptoms, and anxiety and depression. Robust regression models tested concurrent and prospective associations between perfectionism and BDD symptoms, with and without adjustment for coexisting anxiety and depression. Total perfectionism was positively associated with concurrent BDD symptoms, even when controlling for coexisting anxiety and depression. Moreover, total perfectionism predicted changes in BDD symptoms between Time 1 and Time 2. Examination of perfectionism subscales indicated that only self-oriented perfectionism, not socially-prescribed perfectionism, predicted BDD symptoms concurrently and prospectively while controlling for coexisting psychopathology. This study provides preliminary evidence for self-oriented perfectionism being a risk factor for the development of BDD in youth. If replicated, these findings could highlight the potential value of targeting self-oriented perfectionism in prevention and early intervention programs for BDD.

Bullying or fat shaming? The risk factors of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in teenage girls

Aim: This research aims to examine the extent to which fat shaming contributes to the development of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in adolescent girls.Method: Teenage girls with BDD were surveyed using a qualitative, case-study approach, with initial screening involving the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) to establish a diagnosis of BDD. The data in this study were also analyzed using a holistic Yin perspective.Findings: The data from this study shows that everyone who participated in the survey endured some form of negative bullying because of their weight, most notably from members of their own family and friends (schoolmates and playmates). Confidence, pride, self-acceptance, self-conception, social interaction, eating disorders, camouflage, and BDD are all negatively impacted for those respondents who are subjected to fat-shaming regularly.Implications/Novel Contribution: The study results imply that people should be taught to value themselves and others regardless of their size, shape, or appearance. Additionally, one should stop trying to improve themselves or others by measuring themselves against artificial benchmarks or other people.

Patient-identified events implicated in the development of body dysmorphic disorder

Little is known about the causes of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), but researchers have proposed a diathesis-stress model. This study uses a patient-centered approach to identify stressful events to which patients attribute the development of their BDD symptoms. An Internet-recruited sample of 165 adults with BDD participated. A large minority of participants attributed the development of their BDD to a triggering event. Bullying experiences were the most commonly described type of event. Additionally, most events were interpersonal and occurred during grade school or middle school. There were no differences in severity of psychosocial outcomes between participants who did or did not attribute their BDD to a specific triggering event. However, participants who specifically attributed their BDD development to a bullying experience had poorer psychosocial outcomes (i.e., perceived social support, depression severity, functional impairment, quality of life) compared to those who attributed their BDD development to another type of triggering event.

Environmental and physical risk factors for men to develop body dysmorphic disorder concerning penis size compared to men anxious about their penis size and men with no concerns: A cohort study

To explore the combination of environmental and physical factors associated with the development of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) related to penis size and the differences between men who are anxious about their penis size (but do not meet criteria for BDD), and men who do not report concerns about penis size. Method: Men with BDD (n=26) were compared to those with small penis anxiety (SPA) (n=31) and men without concerns (n=33), by their demographic characteristics, penile measurements, Childhood Trauma, Perception of Teasing Scale, and differential experiences including past medical conditions. Multinomial logistic regression was run to find predictors of group membership. Results: There were significant differences across the groups in which emotional and physical abuse and neglect, competency and general appearance teasing, smaller penis size, older age, and higher Body Mass Index were all identified as risk factors for developing BDD compared to those in the SPA and men without concerns. Only perceived specific genitalia teasing were identified as a risk factor in both BDD and SPA groups compared to men without concerns. Conclusions: The results have implications for our understanding of the development of BDD compared to body dissatisfaction and the prevention of psychiatric morbidity. Smaller penis size was not hypothesised to increase vulnerability to developing BDD but is consistent with being “different” during adolescence and for teasing by one's peers or a sexual partner.

Personality traits as vulnerability factors in body dysmorphic disorder

Cognitive behavioural models consider certain personality traits to be risk factors for the development of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Research on personality traits in BDD is scarce, therefore this study examined perfectionism, aesthetic sensitivity and the behavioural inhibition system (BIS) in BDD. Furthermore, the association between these personality traits and the extent of dysmorphic concerns was investigated.Individuals with BDD (n=58) and a population based control sample (n=2071), selected from a representative German population survey, completed self-report questionnaires assessing DSM-5 criteria of BDD, dysmorphic concerns, perfectionism, aesthetic sensitivity and BIS-reactivity.Individuals with BDD reported significantly higher degrees of perfectionism as well as of BIS-reactivity compared to the population based control sample, whereas the groups did not differ significantly regarding aesthetic sensitivity. However, for the total sample, each of the personality traits was related dimensionally to dysmorphic concerns.Current BDD models consider perfectionism and aesthetic sensitivity to be vulnerability factors. In addition to these concepts, the present study suggests that BIS-reactivity is related to BDD. Self-reported aesthetic sensitivity was not found to be specifically pronounced in BDD, but along with perfectionism and BIS-reactivity aesthetic sensitivity was generally associated with dysmorphic concerns.

Traumatic Experiences in Individuals With Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are excessively concerned about perceived defects in their appearance (e.g., blemishes on their skin). BDD is a severe mental disorder often associated with increased suicidality as well as significant social and occupational interference (e.g., J Clin Psychiatry 2005;66:717-725). Recently, investigators have begun to explore variables that might function as risk factors in the development of BDD, such as traumatic experiences (e.g., Child Abuse Negl 2006;30:1105-1115). As such, one of the goals of the current study was to examine the role of early-life sexual, physical, or emotional abuse in BDD. Specifically, the Traumatic Stress Institute Life Event Questionnaire (Treat Abuse Today 1992;2:9-11) was used to examine whether individuals with BDD (n = 18) self-reported having experienced more traumatic events than mentally healthy controls (n = 19). The BDD group reported more retrospective experiences of sexual and physical abuse in childhood or adolescence than did healthy controls. Surprisingly, there was no significant group difference in reports of emotional abuse in early life. This study provides preliminary evidence of the importance of examining abuse as a potential risk factor in the development of BDD.

The temperament and character profile of a body dysmorphic disorder outpatient sample

AbstractBackground Given the paucity in research investigating personality in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), this study examined the temperament and character profile of BDD outpatients, and explored the relationship between BDD symptom severity and the temperament and character dimensions.Method Thirty‐three consecutive BDD outpatients completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ), Self‐Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Social Interactional Anxiety Scale (SAIS). Thirty non‐clinical controls completed the TCI, DCQ and Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire.Results Compared with non‐clinical controls, BDD patients reported significantly higher Harm Avoidance (HA) scores (p &lt; 0.001) and significantly lower Self‐Directedness (SD; p &lt; .001) and Cooperativeness (C) scores (p = 0.04). The finding for C, however, may be confounded by age. For the BDD sample, DCQ scores were positively related to HA scores and negatively related to SD scores.Discussion Results suggest a temperament and character profile for BDD comprising high HA, low SD and possibly low C. High HA and low SD may represent non‐specific risk factors in the development of BDD. Further research with siblings of cases and controls is required to demonstrate the causal role of antecedent personality traits. Additional research with larger samples is also required to investigate the possible confounding effects of delusionality, depression and social anxiety in the relationship between BDD and temperament and character. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Advances in a cognitive behavioural model of body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is the most distressing and handicapping of all the body image disorders. A cognitive behavioural model of BDD is discussed which incorporates evidence from recent studies and advances in the author’s 1996 conceptual model. The model aims to understand the maintenance of symptoms in BDD, to assist in the process of engagement of therapy and to guide the strategies to use. At the core of BDD is an excessive self-focussed attention on a distorted body image, the negative appraisal of such images leading to rumination, changes in mood and the use of safety behaviours. Evidence for possible risk factors in the development of BDD is also discussed.