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Social-evaluative versus self-evaluative appearance concerns in Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
Martin Anson1, David Veale, Padmal de Silva
1NIHR Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. martin.anson@kcl.ac.uk
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|October 23, 2012
Summary
Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) excessively worry about how others perceive their appearance. This study found BDD patients place high importance and anxiety on social-evaluative concerns regarding their looks.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) involves preoccupation with perceived appearance flaws.
- Individuals with BDD often fear negative social evaluation based on appearance.
- Limited research exists on the specific nature of these social-evaluative concerns in BDD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate appearance-related social-evaluative and self-evaluative concerns in BDD.
- To compare these concerns between individuals with BDD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study design.
- Inclusion of participants diagnosed with BDD and healthy control participants.
- Assessment of the importance and anxiety related to self-perception and perceived social evaluation of appearance.
Main Results:
- BDD participants reported significantly higher importance and anxiety regarding others' perceptions of their appearance compared to controls.
- No significant differences were found in the importance and anxiety associated with self-view versus others' views between groups.
- Findings highlight the central role of social-evaluative concerns in BDD.
Conclusions:
- Appearance-related social-evaluative concerns are a core feature of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
- These findings support the focus on social-evaluative aspects in cognitive-behavioural treatments for BDD.
- Further research can refine understanding and treatment of BDD.
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