Text Message Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns

Florida State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Body Dysmorphic Disorders; Eating Disorders; Social Anxiety Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Unhealthy Behavior Fading; Behavioral: Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05612425

STUDY00003637

Details and patient eligibility

About

The current study aims to explore the efficacy of a text message based safety behavior fadinig intervention compared to an unhealthy behavior fading intervention for appearance concerns.

Full description

Description: Appearance-related safety behavior fading intervention procedures will follow methodology previously used in the Cougle Lab. The safety behavior fading intervention is designed to target a decrease or elimination of appearance-related safety behaviors.

Individuals randomly assigned to the safety behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate their endorsed appearance-related safety behaviors. In addition, they will receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day.

Individuals randomly assigned to the unhealthy behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate unhealthy behaviors. They will also receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day.

Enrollment: 203 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• elevated appearance concerns as defined by a score of 53 or higher on the SAAS
• Being female

Exclusion criteria

• being male
• Score of 52 or lower on the SAAS
• Currently receiving treatment (therapy, counseling, etc.) for anxiety, depression, eating disorder, or body image/appearance concerns
• If applicable, unstable psychiatric medication usage any time over the past 4 weeks

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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203 participants in 2 patient groups

Safety Behavior Fading

Experimental group

Description:

Individuals randomly assigned to the safety behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate their endorsed appearance-related safety behaviors. In addition, they will receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a safety behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each safety behavior over the previous day.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns

Unhealthy Behavior Fading

Active Comparator group

Description:

Individuals randomly assigned to the unhealthy behavior fading condition will receive instructions to decrease or eliminate unhealthy behaviors that are unrelated to appearance. They will also receive daily reminders via text message to decrease these behaviors, along with a behavior monitoring checklist in which the participant indicates the extent to which they decreased and/or eliminated each behavior over the previous day.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Unhealthy Behavior Fading