Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Authors
1 M.A. student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
4 Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, University of Qom. Qom, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to develop a structural model of dysmorphophobia in adolescents based on sports desire, self-esteem, and emotional processing.
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on all high school students in Qom city during the 2024-2025 academic year. A sample of 211 adolescents was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires: the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS), the Physical Activity Desire Scale (PADS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Baker Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25). The proposed model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach in Smart PLS software.
Results: The path analysis indicated that the proposed model had a satisfactory fit. The only significant direct path was from self-esteem to dysmorphophobia (β = -0.285, p < 0.01), demonstrating that lower self-esteem directly predicted higher symptoms of dysmorphophobia. The mediating roles of emotional processing and sports desire in this relationship were not confirmed. Among the dimensions of emotional processing, only 'Emotion Control' had a significant relationship with dysmorphophobia.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the central and direct role of self-esteem in explaining dysmorphophobia among adolescents. Preventive and therapeutic interventions should primarily focus on enhancing self-esteem and teaching emotion control skills, as sports desire alone, without addressing the underlying cultural motivations, may not have a significant mitigating effect on body image concerns.
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