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Cited by 118Body Image and Dysmorphia StudiesAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesMental Health Treatment and Access

Phobic nature of social difficulty in facially disfigured people

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Newell, Robert, Marks, Isaac·2000·British Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1192/bjp.176.2.177
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Over 390,000 people in the UK are disfigured. Facial disfigurement distresses sufferers markedly but has been studied little. AIMS: To compare fearful avoidance of people with a facial disfigurement with that of a group of patients with phobia. METHOD: Comparison of Fear Questionnaire agoraphobia, social phobia and anxiety depression sub-scale scores of 112 facially disfigured people (who scored high on Fear Questionnaire problem severity in three survey studies) with those of 66 out-patients with agoraphobia and 68 out-patients with social phobia. RESULTS: Facially disfigured people and patients with social phobia had similar Fear Questionnaire scores. In contrast, facially disfigured people scored lower on the agoraphobia sub-score but higher on the social phobia sub-score than did patients with agoraphobia. CONCLUSIONS: Facially disfigured people with psychological difficulties resembled people with social phobia on Fear Questionnaire social phobia, agoraphobia and anxiety/depression sub-scores but were less agoraphobic and more socially phobic than were people with agoraphobia. Facially disfigured people thus appeared to be socially phobic and to deserve the cognitive--behavioural therapy that is effective for such phobias.

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  • Poor social self-efficacy and social isolation predispose patients with head and neck cancer to the development of social anxiety symptoms.

    “This predisposes them to the development of social anxiety symptoms”

    From Psychological variables associated with quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer: the role of body image distress (2022) · cites this paper as [13]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says facially disfigured people report social anxiety and avoidance, and suggests their social difficulties may reflect phobic anxiety. It does not establish that poor social self-efficacy or social isolation predisposes patients with head and neck cancer to develop social anxiety symptoms; its proposed fear-avoidance model concerns the maintenance of difficulties in facially disfigured people. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Newell, R., & Marks, I.
Affiliations
University of Leeds (GB)
Corresponding author
Newell, Robert
ORCID
Newell, Robert
Venue
British Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Published
2000-02
Volume
176
Issue
2
Pages
177-181
ISSN
  • 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
  • 1472-1465
DOI
10.1192/bjp.176.2.177
OpenAlex
W2149359816
Cited by
118
References
31
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 7
FWCI
4.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 6545 d)
Locations
  • The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Hull
  • University of Leeds
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
facial disfigurement, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, fear avoidance, psychological distress, cognitive behavioral therapy, Fear Questionnaire, anxiety and depression, disfigurement
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Agoraphobia, Female, Persons with Disabilities, Disabled Persons, Humans, Male, Psychological Tests, Social Isolation, Facies

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