Body Image Surveys to Address Social Appearance Anxiety in Women at Risk of Eating Psychopathology: An Acceptability,...

The study investigated the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a body image survey intervention for women at risk of eating psychopathology.

A randomized wait-list control design was used. The preregistered study (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZQPEU) had ethical clearance and met recruitment targets. Female participants (aged 18-48 years) with high levels of social appearance anxiety (i.e., deemed at risk of eating pathology) were recruited via advertisement. Thirty-one participants completed the intervention, with 15 participants randomly allocated to the immediate treatment condition and 16 to the wait-list condition. The intervention consisted of two thirty-minute sessions over a week. Self-report measures were administered every week for 3 weeks and then at the follow-up 4 weeks later. Acceptability was defined as over 75% of participants completing the study and an average score above 5 on a 7-point Likert scale assessing acceptability. Feasibility was defined as over 60 participants expressing interest in the study, over 75% of participants consenting to intervention, and over 30 participants recruited for the intervention.

The wait-list control design met all criteria for feasibility and acceptability. Preliminary outcomes (completer and intention-to-treat analyses) suggest body image surveys are effective at reducing social appearance anxiety (d = 1.79). While eating psychopathology and body image distress reduced over time, no significant interactions with group were found.

While a full trial is needed to add to this evidence, body image surveys appear to be an acceptable and beneficial treatment for people with high levels of social appearance anxiety.