The literature review comprises discussion of 4 principal domains. First, literature pertaining to diagnostic criteria, clinical features, historical context, prevalence, co-morbidity, aetiology and intervention for BDD is reviewed. Second, research on cognitive processes and metacognition (beliefs about experiencing particular thoughts and mental strategies employed to control particular thoughts) in other disorders is discussed, followed by critical appraisal of the minimal existing research on thought content and metacognition in BDD. Possible lines of future research are suggested. The empirical paper describes the aim of the current study, namely exploring preoccupation in BDD, by investigating the content of thoughts about appearance and metacognition in people with BDD and people with 'normal concerns' regarding appearance. A structured interview and questionnaires were employed to investigate these aspects of preoccupation in BDD, followed by quantitative analyses and coding of descriptive data. The content of the thoughts was found to be similar in the 2 groups, but participants with BDD were found to endorse negative metacognitive beliefs significantly more strongly, to employ thought control strategies involving punishment significantly more frequently and to report significantly lower effectiveness of the 2 most frequently employed strategies. These findings are related to existing literature, and clinical and theoretical implications and limitations are discussed. The critical appraisal expands upon the discussion of these findings, exploring strengths and weaknesses and professional, theoretical and clinical implications further. Future directions for research in this area are proposed and both the researcher's expectations and the research process are reflected upon.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:639484 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Holland, A. |
| Publisher | University College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1444788/ |
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