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How to recognise symptoms of appearance-related distress  

How to recognise symptoms of appearance-related distress  . How do we recognise symptoms of appearance related distress?. Does it relate to physical indicators, e.g. Severity & extent of the ‘difference’ in appearance? Location/body site affected? Other indicators …..

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How to recognise symptoms of appearance-related distress  

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  1. How to recognise symptoms ofappearance-related distress  

  2. How do we recognise symptoms of appearance related distress? Does it relate to physical indicators, e.g. Severity & extent of the ‘difference’ in appearance? Location/body site affected? Other indicators ….. Face to face interaction/discussions Observing behaviour Psychometric methods

  3. Severity & extent of the ‘difference’& adjustment Anecdotally, the severity of a difference in appearance is associated with poor adjustment But . . .

  4. Who is most self conscious of their appearance?

  5. Who is most self conscious of their appearance? WE CAN’T POSSIBLY KNOW FROM THESE PHOTOGRAPHS

  6. Physical indicators: Severity & location In a study by Moss (2005), over 500 participants with body image concerns (e.g., weight, size) and / or visible differences (e.g., scarring, burns) rated their levels of wellbeing in reltion to their appearance.

  7. The impact of the severity of a difference in appearance Half of these 500 participants self-assessed how different they looked from the norm The other half were assessed by plastic surgeon (appearance expert) as to how different they looked from the ‘norm’

  8. Moss (2005): Severity analysis The Selfassessed severity ratings of appearance differences – did predict levels of well being, however Surgeon assessed severity ratings of appearance differences – did not predict well being

  9. How different someone THINKS they look predicts well being How different someone ACTUALLY looks does NOT predict well being

  10. Examples: • Alan feels unable to socialise with his peers. When in conversation, he often covers his mouth with his hands, and if possible, avoids talking at all. He is self-conscious “because of my bad habit of keeping my mouth open my bottom lip has become really fat.” Others do not perceive his mouth as looking different. • Bob is a shop assistant in his town. He enjoys meeting regular customers and new people. He is aware of scarring on his lips following an infection, and sometimes gets asked about it. However, he is used to this, and does not consider this a very significant part of his life.

  11. Examples: • Carol has a birth mark about 3cm in diameter on her neck. She is terribly concerned that this is noticeable to everyone she meets, and that they will imagine that this is a “love bite”, and assume she is promiscuous. As a result of this, she avoids others as far as possible, and if she needs to leave the house, always wears a scarf (which she continually re-adjusts) • Diana was scalded by steam as a child when she opened the radiator in her parents’ car. She has extensive visible scarring on her arms and neck. However, she has grown up accepting the attention this sometimes generates, and is practiced at fielding questions. Her work as a teacher, and personal relationships have not been unduly affected by her feelings about appearance.

  12. Body site/physical location of a ‘difference’ in appearance Moss (2005) found that the physical location of the affected body site(s) is a poor predictor of well being Areas which are not normally visible to others (eg those hidden by clothes are as influential as normally visible areas – see graph on next slide). In female samples, sensitivity about abdomen/breasts is most associated with poor well being

  13. Moss (2005) location analysis Appearance distress Taller column indicates more distress associated with sensitivity about this body part

  14. Moss (2005) location analysis Sexually significant, Normally kept hidden Sexually significant, Normally kept hidden Appearance distress Low numbers, unreliable figure Taller column indicates more distress associated with sensitivity about this body part

  15. Non-visible areas of difference (including size differences, skin conditions, scarring, etc.) can sometimes be associated with MORE distress than normally visible areas Non-visible areas introduce the problem of carrying a “secret” When, and to whom, is the “secret” revealed? Especially an issue in relation to romantic/sexual relationships

  16. Other methods of recognising appearance-related distress Face to face discussion? Observing behaviour? Psychometric assessment? Appropriate for vocational trainers Appropriate for psychologists

  17. Face to face discussionACTIVITY – identify potential advantages/disadvantages of face-to-face assessment Advantages Disadvantages

  18. Face to face discussion Advantages Disadvantages Highly skilled Time Unreliable assessment Subject to bias Flexibility Depth - can cover variety of times and domains Individualistic

  19. Observing behaviour Anxiety symptoms Social avoidance Nervousness Blushing Social awkwardness Not necessarily the case that these are caused by appearance anxiety

  20. Observing behaviour Is there an unusually high preoccupation with appearance, eg reflected in… Behaviours and conversation Concealing aspects of body (gestures/clothing) Checking mirrors/reflection more than necessary Appearance concerns disrupting the person’s ability to function (causes lateness, cancellations of appointments, avoidance of social situations, anxiety about interviews etc).

  21. Observing behaviour Advantages Disadvantages Requires high level of skill Time consuming Which behaviours? Context specific behaviours may be missed Focus on individual Can analyse social interaction in depth

  22. Psychometrics – assessment by psychology professionals Trainers may refer people to psychologists for a more formal assessment Trainers may be supplied with a formal assessment by a psychologist and may need to interpret/understand this

  23. Psychometrics – assessment by psychology professionals: Advantages Is carefully defined– Clarity needed about what is being measured Has known validity – Assesses the aspect we think we want to assess Is reliable – Measurement is likely to be consistent over time

  24. What are we measuring when we measure body image?

  25. Activity: Think about what your appearance means to you, and how it affects your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. What questions would you need to be asked to enable you to communicate this to someone else?

  26. Challenges of psychometric assessment When assessing appearance concern using psychometric methods, there are a plethora of scales, often measuring very similar sounding things

  27. Weight satisfaction Body dysphoria Body distortion Body concern Body image Appearance satisfaction Body schema Appearance evaluation (Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1999) Body satisfaction Body dysmorphia Body esteem Body perception Appearance orientation Size perception accuracy

  28. When interpreting psychometric assessments of body image and appearance concerns, it is important to know which aspects a measure HAS and HAS NOT assessed.

  29. Psychometric assessment Advantages Disadvantages Which constructs to measure? May oversimplify Language/literacy skills Data management Valid and reliable assessment Known constructs used Quick/easy Can track change/outcomes

  30. Gender differences Men tend to evaluate and discuss the body as one entity "I like, sort of my, the whole bit that is relatively slim, and it's all together so to speak, nothing’s out of place.. areas I don’t like, um, my stomach especially, when it flops over the trousers” (Man, 33) "I’m happy with it, yeah.. it’s an overall thing” (Man, 39)

  31. Women conceptualise the body as many distinct parts "I have quite a naturally flat stomach, which I like a lot, and I’ve got my stomach pierced because I like the way it looks with that… I’m pleased with my stomach and I try to do sit-ups just to keep it looking okay... I don’t mind my back, I think that looks alright, I’m not very keen on my legs because I think they look very stumpy. Um.. and I think they’re also, they don’t seem to have a lot of shape… they just look like sticks, matchsticks (laughing).. um I like my arms I think they’re fine um.. my bum’salright (laughing) a bit dimply sometimes and I’d probably choose to have bigger boobs if I could” (Woman, 24)

  32. Activity: Who might need to recognise“symptoms” of appearance distress? Is the word “symptoms” a problem? What associations/subtexts does it convey?

  33. Summary • Physical characteristics are poor predictors of appearance self-consciousness • Face-to-face or observational methods provide one way of assessing self-consciousness • Psychologists may use more systematic, psychometric methods

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