An ACT self-help intervention for adults with a visible difference in appearance: A pilot feasibility and acceptability randomized controlled study

Powell, Luke David, Vasiliou, Vasilis S. and Thompson, Andrew R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7222 2023. An ACT self-help intervention for adults with a visible difference in appearance: A pilot feasibility and acceptability randomized controlled study. Body Image 47 , 101637. 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101637

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Abstract

Individuals living with a visible difference in appearance experience high levels of social anxiety, yet self-help interventions for this heterogeneous population are not available. We conducted a pilot trial of a novel Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based self-help intervention.Individuals with anxiety about having a visible difference in appearance (n = 284) were randomized to an ACT-based four-week intervention (n = 145) or a waitlist control condition (n = 139). We collected pre and follow-up (four-weeks after the completion of the intervention) data. Primary outcomes included social anxiety and impairments in functioning. Psychological flexibility (PF) was also examined. ANCOVAs, controlling for pre scores, indicated significant improvements in functioning by the intervention group. No significant differences were observed for anxiety and PF between conditions at follow-up. Drop out was 68% for the intervention and 41% for the control group, with no differences in the groups in age, origin, gender, or type of visible difference. Participants in the intervention group found the intervention almost equally, useful (77%) and helpful (73%). An ACT-based self-help intervention can alleviate distress related to visible difference in appearance. More sophisticated designs are needed now, to collect idiographic and longitudinal data and examine personalized changes across time in this population.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1740-1445
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 October 2023
Date of Acceptance:	14 October 2023
Last Modified:	31 May 2024 21:23
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163262

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