Short-term functions and long-term consequences of body checking as a transdiagnostic phenomenon across eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and illness anxiety disorder: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT: Body checking refers to the repeated evaluation of one's own body. As a safety mechanism, it is prevalent in various mental disorders, including eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and illness anxiety disorder. While the type and manner of body checking behavior may differ between these disorders, cognitive-behavioral models highlight similar mechanisms underlying this behavior. According to the models, body checking is assumed to arise in response to negative affect, offer immediate relief, and increase psychopathology in the longer term as a mechanism of negative reinforcement. The objective of this review is to empirically evaluate these assumptions for eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and illness anxiety disorder. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature revie

SUBMITTER: Hofschroer V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12690865 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature