Association of body dysmorphic disorder with anxiety, depression, and stress among university students

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and identify its association with depression, anxiety, and stress.

We conducted a cross-sectional study in Jeddah, KSA. In 2019, a validated questionnaire with items on sociodemographic characteristics and body dysmorphic disorder, as well as the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 items (DASS 21) was distributed to 1,112 students of King Abdulaziz University. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis, which included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression models. The association was presented as an odds ratio (OR) along with its 95% confidence Interval (CI).

The overall prevalence of BDD was 13.9% (95% CI of 11.8-16.2.) with the highest reported sites being the skin (81.6%) and waist (68.8%). BDD was found to be a significant predictor of depression with an OR of 4.2 (95% CI 2.9-6.1), anxiety OR of 2.2 (95%1.6-3.2), and stress OR of 3.2 (2.2-4.7). Females were significantly associated with anxiety, OR of 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.9) and stress, OR of 1.5 (1.1-2). Affiliation to the administration, arts, humanities, and social colleges was also a significant predictor of anxiety as reflected by an OR of 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.8).

Our study shows that BDD is relatively common among university students in Jeddah and associated with depression, anxiety, and stress.