Appearance Teasing and Mental Health (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Counselors

Course By: Ken Springer, PhD

Content By:  Schmidt, J. & Martin, A. (2019). Appearance teasing and mental health: Gender differences and mediation effects of appearance-based rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-14.

Course Description: Appearance teasing is a common phenomenon that has been associated with mental health impairments. Gender differences relative to the way this association is influenced by rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns was examined in the present study. Online surveys were administered to a large sample of German adults. Researchers found that appearance teasing was associated with rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns for women, which in turn led to poorer mental health. These relationships were not observed in men. However, appearance teasing was directly linked to dysmorphic concerns for both women and men. These findings have clinical implications for the treatment of body image disorders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the conceptual model in which appearance teasing is linked to mental health via associations between rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns
2. Describe the main study findings concerning the relationship between appearance teasing, rejection sensitivity, dysmorphic concerns, and mental health, and note the key gender differences in how these variables are related
3. Integrate the study strengths and limitations, and summarize the clinical implications for body image disorder treatment in consideration of various factors (e.g., rejection sensitivity)

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Appearance teasing and mental health: Gender differences and mediation effects of appearance-based rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Analyze the conceptual model in which appearance teasing affects mental health via the related connection to rejection sensitivity and dysmorphic concerns
• Integrate the key study findings, strengths, limitations, and clinical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers
• Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the relationship between appearance teasing, rejection sensitivity, dysmorphic concerns, and mental health, and how the relationships among these variables are affected by gender

Approvals: