Physical appearance anxiety and eating disorders symptomatology: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Alcaraz‐Ibáñez, M, Paterna, A, Diaz‐Carrasco, AF, Sicilia, A and Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, 2026. Physical appearance anxiety and eating disorders symptomatology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. ISSN 0036-5564

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Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the link between physical appearance anxiety (PAA) and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology by a meta-analysis of existing literature. Eligible studies were searched across six electronic databases up until November 20, 2025. Pooled effect sizes (r) were calculated using random-effects models. Potential variables that influence effect heterogeneity were analyzed by univariable and multivariable meta-regressions. Influence analyses and a three-parameter selection model (3PSM) were used to assess robustness of the results and publication bias. Twenty-seven effect sizes from 21 studies (N = 5261) were obtained. The results indicated a strong association (i.e., r = 0.559) between the two variables under consideration, which was notably stronger (i) among females compared to males; and (ii) for overall eating disorder symptoms rather than bulimic symptoms. The results of this study advocate for further investigation into the effectiveness of addressing anxiety responses related to personal body traits, particularly among females, within the context of preventing and treating eating disorders.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
Creators:	Alcaraz‐Ibáñez, M., Paterna, A., Diaz‐Carrasco, A.F., Sicilia, A. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	10 April 2026
ISSN:	0036-5564
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1111/sjop.70097 DOI 2605117 Other
Rights:	© 2026 The Author(s). Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Melissa Cornwell
Date Added:	13 Apr 2026 10:11
Last Modified:	13 Apr 2026 10:11
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55541

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