A Preliminary Examination of the Associations Between Sleep Quality and Body Dysmorphia Symptoms Among Two Separate Samples of Adolescents

Obsessive compulsive and related disorders have been linked to sleep disturbances. Given that adolescence is a core risk period for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and sleep difficulties are particularly prevalent during adolescence, the current study aims to examine associations between sleep quality and BDD symptoms among two separate samples of adolescents. It was hypothesized that lower reported sleep quality would be associated with higher reported BDD symptoms, even after controlling for anxiety and depression. Study 1 included 325 adolescents aged 11-18 years who completed an online survey via social media recruitment. The survey included questionnaires on BDD symptoms, sleep quality, and anxiety and depressive disorder symptoms. Study 2 included 396 adolescents who completed the same online survey. In study 1, a significant omnibus regression model accounted for 20.0% of the variance in adolescent BDD symptoms. After controlling for anxiety and depressive symptoms, adolescent sleep quality was significantly associated with BDD symptoms, with a small effect size (sr² = 0.02). Study 2 yielded similar results, with a significant omnibus regression model accounting for 26.5% of the variance in adolescent BDD symptoms, and significant associations between adolescent sleep quality and BDD symptoms yielding a small effect size (sr² = 0.01). Exploratory analyses in both studies demonstrated associations between difficulty returning to wakefulness and BDD symptoms. Adolescent sleep quality and BDD symptoms were linked, such that adolescents who reported lower quality sleep also reported higher levels of BDD symptoms. Future research can aim to replicate and extend these results using more rigorous (e.g., longitudinal, experimental) methods.