Preoperative Screening for Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Facial Plastic Surgery: Protocol Development and Validation

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) involves preoccupation with perceived appearance flaws, causing distress and functional impairment.
• BDD is more prevalent in individuals seeking plastic surgery, necessitating screening tools for surgeons.
• The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS) is the gold standard but requires mental health professional administration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a user-friendly questionnaire for physicians to screen for BDD.
• To assess the reliability and validity of the PILOT questionnaire against the BDD-YBOCS.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cross-sectional study involving 149 adult patients seeking facial plastic surgery.
• Participants completed the developed PILOT questionnaire and the BDD-YBOCS, administered by a psychologist.
• Statistical analysis included correlation, sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha).

Main Results:

• A strong positive correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.79, p < 0.001) was found between PILOT and BDD-YBOCS scores.
• The PILOT questionnaire exhibited high sensitivity (88.6%) and good specificity (77.2%).
• Excellent internal consistency was confirmed with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.91.

Conclusions:

• The PILOT questionnaire is a validated, practical, and reliable instrument for physicians.
• It aids in identifying potential Body Dysmorphic Disorder in patients seeking plastic surgery.
• This tool can improve early detection and management of BDD in surgical settings.