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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Two randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy-based educational course for
Kerim Selvi1,2, Thomas Parling3,4, Brjánn Ljótsson1
1Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
The main aim of this project was to explore the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based educational course in different formats (i.e., pure and guided self-help with different durations, and guided self-help with and without access to a discussion forum) for body shape dissatisfaction. Two randomized controlled studies (RCT) were carried out. In the first RCT, the participants were randomized to a 12- or 16-week guided self-help, a 16-week pure self-help, or a waitlist control condition. In the second RCT, the efficacy of 12-week guided self-help with or without access to a discussion forum was investigated. ACT-based self-help resulted in promising improvements in body shape dissatisfaction, and modest effects on general health indicators (i.e., symptom of depression, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and quality of life). The findings also showed no additional effects of support, access to the online discussion forum, and longer duration of self-help, suggesting the 12-week self-help with or without support is a viable option for reducing body shape dissatisfaction.
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