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Chapter 71 - Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2025

Virginia Ramseyer Winter
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Tracy L. Tylka
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Antoinette M. Landor
Affiliation:
University of Missouri
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Summary

The 7-item Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ; Oosthuizen et al., 1998) is designed to screen for, and quantify the degree of, dysmorphic concern in an individual. Dysmorphic concern describes an individual’s preoccupation with certain features of their physical appearance (e.g., hair, skin, nose, genitalia). Excessive levels may cause clinically significant distress and functional impairment, leaning to a diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). However, the DCQ is not a diagnostic tool for BDD; rather, it is a dimensional measure of dysmorphic concern and a screening tool with validated cut-offs for both clinically relevant appearance concern and BDD. The DCQ can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the DCQ and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the DCQ has a unidimensional factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and structural validity support the use of the DCQ. Next, this chapter provides the DCQ items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Links to available translations are included. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Castle, D. J., Molton, M., Hoffman, K., Preston, N. J., & Philips, K. A. (2004). Correlates of dysmorphic concern in people seeking cosmetic enhancement. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38(6), 439444. https://doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01381.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorgensen, L., Castle, D., Roberts, C., & Groth-Marnet, G. (2001). A clinical validation of the Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35(1), 124128. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00860.x.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mancuso, S. G., Knoesen, N. P., & Castle, D. J. (2010a). Delusional versus nondelusional body dysmorphic disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 51(2), 177182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2009.05.001.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mancuso, S. G., Knoesen, N. P., & Castle, D. J. (2010b). The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire: A screening measure for body dysmorphic disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(6), 535542. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048671003596055.Google ScholarPubMed
Oosthuizen, P., Lambert, T., Castle, D. J. (1998). Dysmorphic concern: Prevalence and associations with clinical variables. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 32(1), 129132. https://doi.org/10.3109/00048679809062719.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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