Depressed mood and concern with weight and shape in normal young women

The possible role of depression in accentuating the concerns with weight and shape found in some members of the normal female population was investigated using mood induction procedures. A depressed mood was induced in two groups of normal young women; a group placing a high personal value on shape or weight, and a group placing a low value on shape and weight. The concerns with shape were significantly elevated in the former group compared with the latter. This result is consistent with a mechanism for the development of a disturbance in body image proposed by Cooper and Taylor (British Journal of Psychiatry 153 [Suppl. 2] 20-22, 1988).