Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in the Spanish Population: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Questionnaire Study
Authors: Loewen Álvaro , Blasco-Fontecilla Hilario , Li Chao , Bella-Fernández Marcos , Ruiz-Antorán Belén 
Published: January 2024

Background

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is defined as excessive concern with mild or nonexistent defects in personal physical appearance, which are not perceived by others. The worldwide prevalence of BDD ranges between 0.5% and 3.2%, with no differences across genders. The mean age of onset of BDD is 16.9 years. BDD is typically associated with young age, psychiatric disorders, and dermatological procedures. Patients with BDD typically display poorer mental health status than patients diagnosed with other mental disorders.

Objective

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of BDD in Spain and to identify the variables associated with BDD.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional descriptive study by collecting data through an anonymous web-based survey targeting the Spanish population aged 18 years or older. The measures in this study were (1) sociodemographic variables, (2) variables associated with dermatological and psychiatric disorders and cosmetic procedures, (3) scales measuring quality of life (12-item Short Form health survey, version 2) and (4) BDD (BDD Questionnaire). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software version 21. P values less than .05 were considered significant.

Results

Of the 2091 participants who took the survey, 322 (15.2%) met the criteria of having BDD. The mean age of the participants with BDD was 23.5 (SD 9.6) years. In terms of BDD prevalence, women accounted for 19.9% (284/1421), men accounted for 5.2% (34/653), and students accounted for 25.2% (263/1043). Approximately 46.6% (150/322) of the participants with BDD reported a history of psychiatric comorbidities, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and eating disorders. BDD was significantly associated with female gender, younger age (18-24 years), students, monthly income of less than €500 (€1=US $1.11), and the presence of dermatological and some psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (P<.05). The number of body parts of concern in participants with BDD was significantly higher than that in those without BDD (4.6 vs 2.2, respectively; P<.001). Regarding the body parts of concern, body fat was the most common concern for both groups with BDD and without BDD, followed by thighs, face, hips, and skin in the BDD group and thighs, teeth, and hair in the non-BDD group. Participants with BDD showed a significantly poorer self-perception of their mental health, irrespective of the presence of any mental disorder (P<.001).

Conclusions

Our findings showed that the prevalence of BDD in Spain was higher than expected. Further, BDD is frequently associated with other psychiatric disorders, particularly depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and eating disorder. Participants with BDD had a poorer perception of quality of life associated with mental but not physical health problems. Finally, the perception of quality of mental health life in participants with BDD was independent of diagnosis of any mental disorder.