Influencing Factors of Social Anxiety Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder in a Nonclinical Brazilian Population

Abstract

The aims of this study were twofold: (i) to investigate the prevalence of social anxiety disorder and body dysmorphic disorder in a nonclinical, Brazilian population and (ii) to examine the effects of selected factors such as sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, marital status, workload, education, and income), body mass index, current diet, physical activity, and use of aesthetic treatment. A total of 428 adults (279 women and 149 men) aged 18 to 60 years ( M = 31.51, SD = 10.73) participated in the study. Social anxiety disorder was measured using a Brazilian version of the Social Phobia Inventory ( Osório, Crippa, & Loureiro, 2009 ). Body dysmorphic disorder by using a body dysmorphic symptoms scale validated for the Brazilian population ( Ramos & Yoshida, 2012 ). The main results showed that 28.7% of the sample reported symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Body dysmorphic disorder was more prevalent among women, individuals who had sought aesthetic treatment and individuals who were physically inactive. Moreover, lower levels of social anxiety disorder were observed in physically active individuals who had sought aesthetic treatment compared with physically inactive individuals who had sought aesthetic treatment. Social anxiety disorder was negatively correlated with age, daily workload, and income, while body dysmorphic disorder was positively associated with body mass index and negatively with income. These results show that social anxiety disorder and body dysmorphic disorder are differentially influenced by the selected factors investigated in this study.

Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among a Group of College Students in Shiraz

“…Indeed, the individuals who were dissatisfied with their appearance tried to avoid social situations and often had concerns about being negatively judged. Previous studies have found similar results on the association of social anxiety with BDD (30).…”

Prevalence and Severity of Social Anxiety Symptoms and Their Relationship With Body Dysmorphic Symptoms

“…Concerning sociodemographic characteristics, our study demonstrates that age, gender, education level, and family income were statistically significant (P<0.05) factors in the prevalence and severity of SAD symptoms, consistent with the results of studies conducted outside of Saudi Arabia [ 3 , 21 , 24 ]. Moreover, our study found no significant association with marital status and employment, which does not match other studies [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…The largest study on the prevalence of SAD, with 142,405 respondents in 28 countries, reported a lifetime prevalence of 4% [ 1 ]. Moreover, in a Brazilian study, the prevalence of social anxiety disorder was 28% [ 21 ]. An interesting finding, higher than previously reported, was found in a study that included seven countries with 6,825 young individuals, where the social anxiety prevalence was 36% [ 22 ].…”

Zoom dysmorphia in e-teaching: shifting the value from attributes to appearance

“…The evaluation of dysmorphic features revealed that more self-confidence, older age, and less need for technical assistance were associated with lower expression of dysmorphic features among teachers, moreover, females reported more features than males as females are more dissatisfied with the body compared with males (Himanshu et al, 2020 ). And others reported more prevalent body dysmorphic disorders among females (Tatiana Soler et al, 2019 ). Such a result is inconsistent with another study that found that “males who place a greater emphasis on their physical attributes and monitor their outward appearance may engage in MD characteristics” (Heath et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Too much focus has been usually directed to the skin, face, and hair and that dysmorphia has negatively impacted people’s functioning in many areas including, but not limited to, relationships, socializing, work, and school (Phillips, 2014 ; 2009 ) because it is always connected with distress and disability (Fang & Wilham, 2015 ) that can be treated using various cognitive behavioral therapy techniques (Enander et al, 2016 ; Veale et al, 2014 ) to help people realize their problem, cope and respond swiftly, and eventually proceed with their lives normally (Silver & Reavy, 2010 ; Siliver et al, 2010 ). People may consider avoidance techniques to handle zoom dysmorphia as stated (Cash, 2008 ) such as “avoidance of social or public situations” (Ramphul, 2022 ; Tatiana Soler et al, 2019 ; Neziroglu, Khemlani-Patel, Veale, 2008 ).…”