Dysmorphic concern and behavioural impairment related to body image in adolescents

Abstract

This study examined a moderated mediation model testing whether dysmorphic concern is related to behaviour altered to change appearance. This relationship is potentially mediated by depressive symptomatology (dysphoria and self‐esteem) and ideas of reference about “laughing, commenting” and “attention, appearance,” and each mediated relationship moderated by sex. The sample was made up of 3377 adolescents from 12 to 18 years old (Mage = 14.52; SD = 1.65, 56.5% girls). The results showed that dysphoria and ideas of reference about “laughing, commenting” and “attention, appearance” partially mediated the relationship between dysmorphic concern and behavioural impairment related to body image. The relationship with dysphoria was moderated by sex, such that the mediation effect was stronger in girls than in boys. This result implies that girls who are worried about some characteristic of their appearance and show dysphoria are at greater risk of altered behaviour involving avoidance or controlling their appearance than boys. In addition, a possible risk of body dysmorphic disorder (3.45% of the sample) was found, with very prominent hiding behaviour using clothing or control behaviours, such as frequent weighing and looking at oneself in the mirror too much. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The dark side of Instagram: Predictor model of dysmorphic concerns

“…Although the attention and appearance IR were related to the use of Instagram, the relationship with DC was not statistically significant, even though the correlational analyses showed a significant relationship. These results do not back the findings of Senín-Calderón et al (2019) in a sample of adolescents. It is possible that ER difficulties and appearance-related comparison are more relevant in the relationship with DC and may have diminished the importance of attention and appearance IR to the point of not being included in the model.…”

“… Phillips (2004) found that at least two thirds of BDD patients experienced IR. Senín-Calderón et al (2019) found that IR about “attention, appearance” and “laughing, commenting” mediated the relationship between DC and behavioral impairment related to body image in adolescents. In another study, IR mediated the relationship between concern for appearance and behavioral impairment related to body image ( Senín-Calderón, Rodríguez-Testal, Perona-Garcelán, & Perpiñá, 2017 ).…”

“…They may appear as unwanted mental intrusions that a person makes an effort to suppress to reduce the distress caused by them, most often through compulsive behavior (checking physical appearance in reflective surfaces, touch the defect, camouflage it or compare oneself with others) ( Pascual-Vera et al, 2019 , Pascual-Vera and Belloch, 2018 ). DC are located on a continuum of severity where the most extreme manifestation is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and they seem to be more frequent in women ( Senín-Calderón, Gálvez-González, Perona-Garcelán, Camacho, & Rodríguez-Testal, 2019 ). They are usually mental acts related to comparing one’s physical appearance with that of others ( American Psychiatric Association APA, 2013 ).…”

“…DC has been related positively to ideas of reference ( Senín-Calderón et al, 2019 ), which is a clinical characteristic in the ICD-11 for diagnosis of BDD ( World Health Organization, 2019 ). Ideas of reference (IR) refer to the feeling that one is the subject of attention by others, which can be construed as being observed, talked about, criticized and/or being laughed at ( Lenzenweger, Bennett, & Lilenfeld, 1997 ).…”

The COVID‐19 pandemic: Psychological and behavioral responses to the shutdown of the beauty industry

“…The potential impact of the closure of beauty services could be worse for individuals with "dysmorphic concern," a preoccupation with a perceived defect in physical appearance (Oosthuizen, Lambert, & Castle, 1998). This commonly occurs in body image disorders, such as eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), where individuals may overestimate their body weight or size, or the extent of a flaw in their appearance (Beilharz et al, 2019;Phillipou et al, 2016;Schieber, Kollei, de Zwaan, & Martin, 2018). For these individuals, the seeking of beauty treatments can act as a safety behavior, which assists in relieving appearance-related anxiety in the short-term but may perpetuate an excessive focus on appearance in the long-term (Wilhelm, Phillips, & Steketee, 2013).…”