Body Satisfaction, BMI, and Psychological Symptom Dimensions: A Cross‐Sectional Study Revealing Divergent Predictors Among Beauty Clinic Clients and the General Population in Tehran

ABSTRACT Background Body satisfaction is an important factor influencing interest in cosmetic and aesthetic procedures and is shaped by body mass index (BMI) and psychological symptom dimensions. Evidence on their combined associations in cosmetic clinic populations remains limited. Aims To examine associations between psychological symptom dimensions and BMI with body satisfaction among beauty clinic clients in Tehran compared with the general population. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 400 participants (200 beauty clinic clients and 200 from the general population) completed the Symptom Checklist‐90 and the Body Image Satisfaction Questionnaire. BMI was calculated from self‐reported height and weight. Group comparisons and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The groups differed substantially in gender composition, which was considered in interpretation. Results Beauty clinic clients reported higher depressive symptoms but lower anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity than the general population. Among clinic clients, body satisfaction showed positive associations with depressive symptoms, obsessive‐compulsive symptoms, hostility, phobic anxiety, and BMI, and negative associations with anxiety, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and paranoia. In the general population, depressive symptoms, somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, and BMI were negatively associated with body satisfaction, whereas anxiety, phobic anxiety, paranoia, and psychoticism were positively associated. Conclusions Psychological Symptom Dimensions and BMI showed different patterns of association with body satisfaction across populations. Unexpected positive associations observed among clinic clients should be interpreted cautiously given the cross‐sectional design, sampling characteristics, and gender imbalance.