Gazing at facial features increases dissociation and decreases attractiveness ratings in non-clinical females – A potential explanation for a common ritual in body dysmorphic disorder

Möllmann, Anne; Hunger, Antje; Dusend, Christina; Hout, Marcel van den; Buhlmann, Ulrike

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219791

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similarly, Sündermann and Veale ( 2017 ) suggest complex BDD in adults is associated with dissociative experience and trauma. Möllmann et al ( 2019 ) found that gazing at facial features increased dissociation among a non-clinical female sample, suggesting a self-perpetuating cycle of triggers of distress and attempts to cope with it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“If only he were blind”: Shame, trauma, and dissociation among women with body dysmorphic disorder in physically intimate relationships

Stechler

Henton

2022

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) involves a debilitating preoccupation with one’s appearance and associated difficulties in social and interpersonal relationships, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Quantitative research has investigated the severity of relationship difficulties in BDD, while qualitative research has primarily focused on intrapersonal phenomena, although interpersonal difficulties, including with physical intimacy, have frequently emerged from these studies. Aims This study explores how women with BDD make sense of their lived experiences of physical intimacy in the context of current partner relationships. Method Six adult women participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results The analysis generated three superordinate themes: 1) The shame in being seen, 2) Disgust and detachment during intimacy, and 3) A flawed self, unworthy of relationships. Conclusions This study demonstrates how appearance-related concerns filter into the cognitive, behavioural, and emotional intersubjective spaces of physically intimate partnerships. Shame or trauma may be triggered and may be managed through disengagement or dissociation. Clinical implications These findings support calls for a full psychological assessment of the contextual and interpersonal components of BDD, and further suggest that psychological interventions for shame, trauma, and dissociation, such as compassion-focused therapy, imagery rescripting, or body-focused therapies, may be helpful additions to cognitive-behavioural or exposure and response prevention interventions for practitioners working with BDD.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“If only he were blind”: Shame, trauma, and dissociation among women with body dysmorphic disorder in physically intimate relationships

Stechler

Henton

2022

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…but it remains possible that illusions simply co-occur with dissociation, or even that illusions increase dissociation. The link between prolonged fixation and dissociation is well-known and occurs irrespective of the stimulus type (object, dot, own face in the mirror, photographed face) [35]. Given the instruction to fixate, increased state dissociation is therefore an expected consequence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the instruction to fixate, increased state dissociation is therefore an expected consequence. Mild dissociation and very mild dysmorphic effects, such as an increase in perceived unattractiveness [35], often co-occur to a minor degree during any mirror-gazing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strange face illusions: A systematic review and quality analysis

Mash¹,

Dean²,

Jenkinson³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Strange face illusions (SFIs) describe a range of visual apparitions that occur when an observer looks at their image reflected in a mirror (Mirror Gaze Task: MGT) or gazes at another’s face (Inter-personal Gazing Dyad Task: IGDT) in a dimly lit room. The illusory effects range from mild alterations in colour, or contrast, to the perception of distorted facial features, or new faces. The current review critically evaluates studies investigating SFIs, their methodological quality, and existing interpretations. Searches conducted using Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect and the grey literature up to June 2021 identified 20 studies (N= 874) meeting the inclusion criteria (i.e., providing new empirical evidence relating to SFIs) . Results are reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review was preregistered at the Open Science Framework (OSF: https://osf.io/ek48d).Pooling data across studies, we report that SFIs are experienced by 67% (95% CI: 55-77) of nonclinical participants. Study quality was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) and indicated that most studies (85%) were poor-to-fair quality. Study quality was inversely related to prevalence rates, accounting for almost half of the variance in reported SFI rates. We also report that age was positively related to prevalence rates, with more illusions reported by older samples. Our review suggests that the conditions required to induce strange face illusions appear to be reduced light levels, face stimuli and prolonged eye fixation.In conclusion, SFIs commonly occur in both the MGT and the IGDT paradigms. Current psychodynamic interpretations of SFIs as dissociative identities remain largely speculative and further research of higher quality is needed to establish the prevalence and mechanisms of SFIs more firmly.

show abstract

“…The German-language Body Dysmorphic Symptoms Inventory (Fragebogen Körperdysmorpher Symptome, FKS; [44]) consists of 18 items assessing body dysmorphic disorder symptoms. The items can be summed into two subscales: "Specific BDD Symptoms" (items 1, 4-15) and "Associated Features" (items [16][17][18]. Items are scaled from 0 "not at all, never, do not think about it" to 4 "very strongly so, over 5-times a week, over 8 hours a day".…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…worrying about physical health vs. worrying about appearance) [16]. Moreover, several somatoform disorders and BDD [17,18] amongst other disorders share a heightened likelihood for dissociation and thus might be linked via dissociation as a psychopathological organizer [19,20]. Despite widespread discussion, no study to date has tested the empirical fit of BDD within a spectrum encompassing these disorders in a so-called somatoform model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An empirically derived recommendation for the classification of body dysmorphic disorder: Findings from structural equation modeling

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), together with its subtype muscle dysmorphia (MD), has been relocated from the Somatoform Disorders category in the DSM-IV to the newly created Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders category in the DSM-5. Both categorizations have been criticized, and an empirically derived classification of BDD is lacking. A community sample of N = 736 participants completed an online survey assessing different psychopathologies. Using a structural equation modeling approach, six theoretically derived models, which differed in their allocation of BDD symptoms to various factors (i.e. general psychopathology, somatoform, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, affective, body image, and BDD model) were tested in the full sample and in a restricted sample (n = 465) which indicated primary concerns other than shape and weight. Furthermore, measurement invariance across gender was examined. Of the six models, only the body image model showed a good fit (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.027, TLI = 0.959), and yielded better AIC and BIC indices than the competing models. Analyses in the restricted sample replicated these findings. Analyses of measurement invariance of the body image model showed partial metric invariance across gender. The findings suggest that a body image model provides the best fit for the classification of BDD and MD. This is in line with previous studies showing strong similarities between eating disorders and BDD, including MD. Measurement invariance across gender indicates a comparable presentation and comorbid structure of BDD in males and females, which also corresponds to the equal prevalence rates of BDD across gender.

show abstract

Gazing at facial features increases dissociation and decreases attractiveness ratings in non-clinical females – A potential explanation for a common ritual in body dysmorphic disorder

Cited by 8 publications

References 39 publications

“If only he were blind”: Shame, trauma, and dissociation among women with body dysmorphic disorder in physically intimate relationships

“If only he were blind”: Shame, trauma, and dissociation among women with body dysmorphic disorder in physically intimate relationships

Strange face illusions: A systematic review and quality analysis

An empirically derived recommendation for the classification of body dysmorphic disorder: Findings from structural equation modeling

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About