The prevalence and clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder in a Korean nursing college student population

  • Professor Ik-Seung Chee, 33 Munwha-ro, Jung-Gu, Department of Psychiatry, Chungnam National University Hospital. Daejeon, Korea
  • Professor Seung-Keun Wang, Chungnam National University Hospital, Korea
  • Professor Jeon-Lan Kim, Chungnam National University Hospital, Korea
  • MD Hyun-Jin Kim, Chungnam National University Hospital, Korea
  • MD Seung-Min Cha, 33 Munwha-ro, Jung-Gu, Department of Psychiatry, Chungnam National University Hospital. Daejeon, Korea, Korea
  • MD Seung-Mi Baek, 33 Munwha-ro, Jung-Gu, Department of Psychiatry, Chungnam National University Hospital. Daejeon, Korea, Korea
  • MD Jin-Gu Lee, Chungnam National University Hospital, Korea
  • MD,PhD Chang-Kyu Shin, Kwakhosoon Mental Hospital,, Korea

Object : Body dysmorphic disorder(BDD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by having a pervasive subjective feeling of ugliness of some aspect of their appearance despite a normal or nearly normal appearance. This study investigated the prevalence and clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder in a Korean nursing college student population.

Method : Ten hundred and five nursing college students(93.5% female) completed 5 self-report measures: the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination-self report (BDDE-SR-Korean version), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-Korean version), Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI-Korean version), Beck Hopeless Scale(BHS-Korean version), Rosenberg Self Esteem scale (SES-Korean version).

Results : Participants satisfying BDD diagnostic criteria of BDDE-SR-Korean version was 2.8%(N=28). The top 5 dissatisfied body part of participants were thigh(8.3%), tooth(7.8%), waist-abdomen(7.8%), nose(6.4%) calves(5.5%). Compared to non BDD subjects, BDD subjects had higher scores on the depression, obsessive-compulsive, and hopeless scales but with lower scores on the self-esteem scale. Those who screened positive for BDD were interviewed to confirm DSM-IV BDD and its clinical features.

Conclusions : These findings suggest that BDD is a relatively common in our nursing college student sample that requires further attention in research and practice. Further research should utilize more comprehensive methods of patients sampling and gather diagnostic information to confirm the BDD diagnoses and to recognize comorbidities.