An ACT self-help intervention for adults with a visible difference in appearance: A pilot feasibility and...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health

Background:

• Individuals with visible differences often experience significant social anxiety.
• Limited self-help interventions exist for this diverse population.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a potential framework for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a novel Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based self-help intervention.
• To assess the intervention's impact on social anxiety and functioning in individuals with visible differences.
• To examine changes in psychological flexibility (PF).

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized controlled trial with 284 participants with anxiety about visible differences.
• Participants were randomized to a four-week ACT self-help intervention or a waitlist control.
• Primary outcomes included social anxiety and functioning, with psychological flexibility as a secondary outcome.

Main Results:

• The ACT intervention group showed significant improvements in functioning compared to the control group.
• No significant differences were found in social anxiety or psychological flexibility between groups at follow-up.
• High dropout rates were observed in the intervention group (68%), though participants found it useful (77%) and helpful (73%).

Conclusions:

• An ACT-based self-help intervention shows promise in alleviating distress associated with visible differences, particularly in improving functioning.
• Further research with more robust designs is needed to explore personalized, longitudinal changes.
• Addressing high dropout rates is crucial for future intervention development.