The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma Experience with Anxiety Symptoms and Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Cosmetic Surgery Applicants with the Mediation of Rejection Sensitivity

Examining the traumatic experiences and personality characteristics of cosmetic surgery applicants is particularly important in explaining their psychological problems. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between childhood trauma experience with anxiety symptoms and body dysmorphic disorder in cosmetic surgery applicants with the mediating role of rejection sensitivity.

The present research was correlation based on structural equations. The statistical population of the research included all women referring to cosmetic surgery clinics in Tehran. Considering the criteria of inclusion and exclusion, 210 people were selected by convenience sampling method. The research tools are: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Body Dysmorphic Disorder questionnaire, and Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire. Pearson correlation, structural equation modeling and SPSS and AMOS version 23 software were used for data analysis.

The results showed that the direct path coefficients of childhood trauma experience on anxiety symptoms (β=0.318 and P=0.001) and sensitivity to rejection (β=0.510 and P=0.001) were positively significant, but the path of childhood trauma experience on body dysmorphic disorder was not significant. Also, the direct path coefficients of rejection sensitivity on anxiety symptoms (β=0.464 and P=0.001) and body dysmorphic disorder (β=0.464 and P=0.001) were positively significant. In addition to sensitivity to rejection, it had a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma experience and anxiety symptoms and body dysmorphic disorder.

Based on the findings of the research, it can be concluded that targeted interventions that are used to reduce the sensitivity to rejection can probably be effective in improving the psychological problems and attitudes of cosmetic surgery applicants.