“I’m Not Only a Body”: Change in Thoughts about the Body after Mirror Exposure Treatment in Women with Obesity—An Exploratory Study
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Sánchez González, Cristina; Jiménez Cabello, José Manuel; Rodríguez Ruiz, Sonia; Mata Martín, José LuisEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Body dissatisfaction Body discomfort Exposure treatment
Date
2024-03-09Referencia bibliográfica
González-Sánchez, C.; Jiménez-Cabello, J.; Rodríguez-Ruíz, S.; Mata-Martín, J.L. “I’m Not Only a Body”: Change in Thoughts about the Body after Mirror Exposure Treatment in Women with Obesity—An Exploratory Study. Healthcare 2024, 12, 624. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060624
Sponsorship
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number PSI2012-31395Abstract
Nowadays, obesity (OB) is one of the most important health problems in populationwide
health. In addition to its physical consequences, it is a risk factor for the development of
psychological problems, including body dissatisfaction (BD). This is why the treatment of BD is
essential for its prevention. However, this has mostly been studied from a quantitative perspective,
without focusing on the discomfort experienced by the person and the accompanying thoughts and
emotions. In this study, 26 women with obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) participated, of whom 16 had
high BD and 10 had low BD, as measured by the BSQ questionnaire. The women with high BD
underwent six sessions of exposure to their own body in front of a mirror, recording the discomfort
experienced with this vision during the session. In addition, all participants recorded positive and
negative thoughts towards their body before and after these sessions. After the exposure treatment
sessions, a reduction in symptomatology (BD, discomfort when visualizing one’s own body) was
observed, as well as a change in the thoughts expressed by the participants, both in quantity (fewer
negative thoughts) and in quality (a more positive self-perception and/or in more respectful terms
used towards themselves). In conclusion, such treatments prove to be effective in reducing subjective
discomfort and body-related thoughts in women with obesity