Open AccessEpidemiology of body dysmorphic disorder among adolescents: A study of their cognitive functions
Author(s) -
Rajabi Soran,
Kamran Leila,
Joukar KamalAbadi Mahnaz
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.1710
Subject(s) - body dysmorphic disorder , stroop effect , cognition , wisconsin card sorting test , psychology , trail making test , clinical psychology , epidemiology , psychiatry , medicine , audiology , cognitive impairment , neuropsychology
Background Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one's appearance. In case of a slight physical anomaly, the person would experience an excessive concern. This disorder causes cognitive dysfunction. Purpose The aim of this study was to examine epidemiology of body dysmorphic disorder among students at secondary schools of the first and second stage in Shiraz, Iran. It also compares executive functions in students with BDD to healthy students. Methods The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ), Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT),Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Tower of London test (ToL), and Trail Making Test (TMT) were measured in participants with BDD ( N = 52; M age = 16.20; SD = 1.03) and healthy control group ( N = 52; M age = 15.91; SD = 0.96). Results The frequency of BDD was significantly higher in women than men (14.8% vs. 6.8%), and its prevalence was 10.4% in total. There was a significant difference between the two groups of students concerning attentional set‐shifting, inhibition of cognitive interference, visual‐spatial searching, and sequencing, but not problem‐solving tasks. Conclusions Students with BDD have cognitive deficits, which need to be addressed in cognitive rehabilitation.