A sample of 258 college students responded to three items in Likert-format designed by the authors to elicit information relating directly to the three criteria for body-dysmorphic disorder described in DSM-III-R (1987). 70% of the participants endorsed some agreement with an item regarding dissatisfaction with some aspect(s) of their bodies. 46% indicated some preoccupation with this aspect of their appearance, and 48% indicated some exaggeration of their perceived body image. Sex differences were significant on all three items. 28% of the sample endorsed all three of the items taken together. These results raise questions about the utility of a diagnosis which, as it is currently defined, could conceivably apply to a large percentage of the population and which disproportionately targets women.

Results from cross‐sectional (602 college students) and longitudinal (545 community women) samples from New England converged to show multiple corroboration for a hierarchical factor model of Problem Behavior linking psycho‐existential distress with alcohol temptations and use, drug use, and AlDS‐risk behavior. The higher order factor model showed no significant gender differences for parameter estimates across cross‐sectional subsamples of 401 female and 20! male college students, and it showed only minor differences (three factor loadings) across longitudinal subsamples of 321 wider community and 224 continuing‐education women. Several longitudinal tests demonstrated strong evidence for stability of the higher order factor of Problem Behavior and of each of the four primary factors across a 1‐year period, and demonstrated some support for psycho‐existential distress preceding the remaining problem behaviors.

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