Article Published In Vol.5 (May-June-2017)

Body Image, Social Anxiety and Psychological Distress among Young Adults

Author : Dr. Nadeem Luqman and Sanjeevini Dixit

For human beings, judgement about self is extremely important and this evaluation becomes the most definitive factor in the process of psychological evolution. One of the area in which individuals judge is regarding body image which is a mental image they have of their body. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between body image, social anxiety and psychological distress among young adults. The sample consisted of 156 participants and the tools used were Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). It was found that there was a positive correlation between Body Image and Social Anxiety as well as in Body Image and Psychological Distress. It is important for the mental health professionals to provide interventions to individuals with high levels of social anxiety and psychological distress due to their perceived body image.

Keywords: Body image; social anxiety; psychological distress