Investigating the Causes of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Women: Content Analysis

There is almost no accurate information about the causes of body dysmorphic disorder. Many patients with body dysmorphic disorder who apply for plastic surgery show a negative response to these treatments and sometimes the symptoms get worse. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the causes of body dysmorphic disorder in women.

The present research was a qualitative study with a content analysis type. Variables and categories were obtained by interviewing 15 experts and eight people with body dysmorphic disorder and reviewing 71 articles. Also, to diagnose body dysmorphic disorder, Yale Brown’s Practical Obsession Questionnaire was used in addition to the interviews. The sampling method in this research was purposive sampling. Data analysis was done in three stages: open, central, and selective coding. The validity of the components was checked by calculating the content analysis index.

In the research, before the interview, written consent was received regarding the specificity and confidentiality of the research (Code: IR.UM.REC.1401.105).

The influential factors in body dysmorphic disorder were: a. Cultural and social factors b. Psychological factors, and c. Biological factors.

According to the obtained results, several factors play a role in the occurrence of body dysmorphic disorder, and their identification in different environments, cultures, and societies provides the possibility of developing preventive measures, and designing and developing a suitable treatment model. However, to increase the external validity of the research, it is suggested to conduct similar research in other societies.