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August 19, 2026Clinical PsychologistOpen Access

Body image indirectly explains the relationship between symptom distress and mental health in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

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Authors

KMKristen MurrayIRImogen RizzoCWClare Watsford

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Overview

Cross-sectional study reveals body image mediates the link between symptom distress and mental health risks in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, highlighting holistic psychological targets.

Key Points

  • To evaluate whether positive body image facets—specifically appearance satisfaction and functionality appreciation—mediate the relationship between polycystic ovary syndrome symptom distress, psychological distress, and eating pathology.
  • Conducted an online cross-sectional survey in N=204 women aged 19 to 57 years (mean = 32.3, SD = 7.56) with a self-reported polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis.
  • Administered standardized measures of PCOS symptom distress, psychological distress, eating restraint and concern, appearance satisfaction, and functionality appreciation, evaluated via multiple mediation models.
  • Multiple mediation models demonstrated that body image significantly explained the indirect relationship between PCOS symptom distress and impaired mental health.
  • Appearance satisfaction exhibited significant unique indirect effects on both psychological distress and eating pathology, whereas functionality appreciation was a significant mediator only for psychological distress.

Cite This Study

Murray et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a85634f03308d306e2d654bhttps://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2026.2713450
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1THE IMPACT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME ON MENTAL HEALTH AND BODY IMAGE IN WOMEN: A CLINICAL LITERATURE REVIEW2026
  2. 2Body image perception and self-esteem in females with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis2026 · 1 citations
  3. 3The Role of Demographic Factors, Clinical Characteristics and Perceived Social Support on the Body Image of Iranian Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Cross‐Sectional Study2026
  4. 4THE IMPACT OF POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS – A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WITH EXTENDED CLINICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS2025
  5. 5Associations Between Psychologic Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome2011 · 47 citations