title: Body dysmorphic symptoms: phenomenology and ethnicity.
abstract: Differences in the presentation of clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) across ethnic groups have received little investigation. The current study assessed BDD symptoms in an ethnically diverse sample of adults (n=401) using an online survey. Participants completed self-report measures assessing BDD symptoms, body parts of concern and BDD behaviors. Compared to Caucasian participants, no significant differences were found in body parts or behaviors reported by Latino or African American participants. Significant group differences did emerge between Asian and Caucasian participants. Specifically, Asians reported more concern with straight hair and dark skin and fewer body shape concerns than Caucasians. Asians also endorsed lower rates of grooming, touching body parts, and camouflaging and higher rates of exercise compared to Caucasians. Although most clinical features of BDD appear similar across ethnic groups, results showed some differences in body parts and behaviors between Caucasians and Asian Americans with BDD symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. lmarques@partners.org
authors.forename: Luana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weingarden
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Lara N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Traeger
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keshaviah
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult