Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Differences in Age and Compulsive Online Behavior in a Swedish Sample

Abstract: Compulsive repetitive behaviors and mental acts due to concerns about your appearance, are symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Previous research suggests that the compulsive behaviors found in people with BDD occur in online and offline settings (e.g., extensive editing of selfies intended for publication online and excessive mirror gazing offline). Also, previous research shows that BDD and social media use vary with age. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine age as a moderator in the relationship between compulsive behaviors online and the risk behaviors of BDD offline, through a cross-sectional design. The inclusion criteria for the study were being a minimum of 16 years old, a Swedish citizen and a user of social media. The data were collected through a survey, consisting of questions intended to screen for compulsive behaviors online in relation to appearance concerns, risk behaviors of BDD offline and the prevalence of BDD. The results showed that younger participants engaged in more compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD. The group in high risk of BDD also engaged more in both behaviors, than participants in low risk of BDD. In addition, the results showed that age did act as a moderator in the relationship between compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD. Age showed to especially affect the relationship between the number of compulsive behaviors online and risk behaviors of BDD in older participants.