TITLE:
Body-Image Shame and Body-Image Disturbance in Relation to Probable Body Dysmorphic Disorder among Adult Dermatology Outpatients in Kano, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study
AUTHORS:
Gudaji Mustapha Ibrahim, Danjumma Mudasir Muhammad, Abdurrahman Zakariyya Ibrahim
KEYWORDS:
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, BDDQ, Body-Image Shame, Body-Image Disturbance, Dermatology, Nigeria, Prevalence
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.16 No.4,
October
15,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition characterised by excessive preoccupation with perceived appearance defects, often presenting in dermatology settings. Body-image shame and body-image disturbance are hypothesised to contribute significantly, yet their associations remain underexplored in African contexts, including Nigeria. Objective: The study determined the prevalence of probable BDD and examined the associations of body-image shame and image disturbance with probable BDD among patients attending a dermatology clinic in Kano, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 375 participants (response rate 93.75%) recruited via systematic random sampling from the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Data were collected with a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the 14-item Body Image Shame Scale (BISS), the 10-item Body Image Scale (BIS), and the 4-item Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ). Analyses included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and binary logistic regression of BISS and BIS scores (SPSS v25; p Results: The prevalence of probable BDD was 8.3% (31/375). Mean (SD) BISS and BIS scores were 28.46 (13.05) and 13.08 (5.62), respectively. Scores were higher among screen-positive than screen-negative participants for both shame (37.77 [11.32] vs 27.62 [12.89]; p Conclusion: Probable BDD was identified by screening in 8.3% of adult dermatology outpatients. Higher body-image shame and body-image disturbance scores were associated with screen-positive status in unadjusted and limited adjusted analyses. These findings support attention to body-image concerns in dermatological care. Diagnostic, longitudinal, and culturally validated studies are needed.