NCT03205839

Acceptance-based Self-help for Individuals With Visible Difference and Social Anxiety

Effectiveness of Acceptance-based Self-help for Individuals With Visible Difference and Social Anxiety: a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 284 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Sheffield · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) model theoretically fits with treating appearance-related anxiety in individuals with a visible difference. This study examines the effectiveness of an acceptance-based self-help manual for this population.

Detailed description

Individuals with visible difference commonly experience social anxiety due to appearance-related concerns. There are limited resources to help people with appearance-related distress, so internet-provided self-help interventions may be beneficial. A pilot randomised controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of an acceptance-based self-help intervention to a waitlist control group. We hypothesise (1) the acceptance-based self-help intervention will significantly increase participants' "psychological flexibility", (2) significantly decrease fear of negative evaluation from others and (3) significantly increase their quality of life, compared to the waitlist control group. Data will be collected at two time points only. General distress (CORE-10) will be collected pre-intervention only to ensure randomisation has been successful. Should the two groups significantly differ in distress, this will be accounted for in subsequent analyses.

Conditions

• Visible Difference
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• ACT
• Skin Condition
• Hair Condition
• Craniofacial
• Burns

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Acceptance-based self-help intervention	Surviving to Thriving: ACT self-help for living well with a visible difference in appearance. A self-help booklet, based upon Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The booklet includes some ACT techniques and encourages participants to set themselves behavioural tasks, based upon their values. There is a suggested timetable for participants to navigate through the self-help during the four-week intervention period. In addition to the pdf booklet, there are accompanying audio exercises and a lived experience video.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-07-27
• Primary completion: 2017-11-18
• Completion: 2018-06-01
• First posted: 2017-07-02
• Last updated: 2018-06-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom