Clinical characteristics among sexual minority and heterosexual women with body dysmorphic disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common disorder associated with substantial comorbidity, impairment, and poor quality of life. Research on subcultural variations of BDD is limited but may impact assessment and treatment of the disorder. The current study examined clinical features in a sample of sexual minority (SM; n = 43) and heterosexual (n = 155) women with diagnosed BDD. Participants completed self-report and clinician-administered measures of demographic and clinical characteristics. Results indicated largely similar clinical features across groups with some exceptions: compared to non-SM women, SM women were younger (M = 25.50 vs 31.96 years, p < .001), had better BDD-related insight (M = 14.51 vs 16.26, p = .01), endorsed a greater number of disliked body parts, and were more likely to express preoccupation with body build (OR = 4.6, 95% CI [2.0, 10.9]), chin/jaw (OR = 4.7, 95% CI [2.1, 10.3]), and shoulders (OR = 10.1, 95% CI [2.7, 37.9]), possibly reflecting nuanced beauty ideals within the SM community. There were no significant group differences in other body parts of concern, BDD severity, or depression. Future studies are needed in larger, more inclusive samples to explore the relationship between diverse identities on BDD and its associated features.

Body Image After Mastectomy Scale: A New Measure of Body Image Behaviors and Beliefs in Women Following Mastectomy.

Background: Body image distress is frequently reported by women after mastectomy and is associated with negative health outcomes, such as reduced quality of life, elevated depression and anxiety symptoms, and impaired sexual functioning. To reduce body image distress after mastectomy, we must first understand the factors that contribute to its development and maintenance. We therefore developed a new measure, the Body Image after Mastectomy Scale (BIMS), to comprehensively assess maladaptive appearance-related beliefs and behaviors (e.g., avoidance and rituals) that may trigger and maintain body image distress after mastectomy. Materials and Methods: Forty-seven female patients undergoing mastectomy with breast reconstruction completed the BIMS and other measures 3 months after breast reconstruction. Results: Evaluation of the BIMS' initial psychometric properties showed that the overall scale has good internal consistency and strong construct validity. Domain-specific subscales ranged in reliability from good to poor. Conclusions: The BIMS can be used clinically to identify cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy targets to reduce body image distress resulting from mastectomy. It can also be used in research to identify factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of body image distress after mastectomy. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03428399.