Who benefits from a digital intervention for appearance concerns? A randomized controlled trial of a large mixed-gender sample
Abstract
Objective: Individuals with excessive appearance concerns commonly engage in appearance-related safety behaviors (ARSBs), or behaviors aimed at managing or avoiding negative evaluation of one's physical appearance. Targeting these behaviors can lead to reductions in appearance concerns and related symptoms. However, prior studies have only examined these effects among women scoring above a specific cutoff, excluding men and individuals with lower levels of these concerns. The present study further evaluated the efficacy of this brief ARSB intervention and examined who benefits from this intervention.
Method: Adults (N = 400) interested in treatment for appearance concerns were recruited across the United States and randomized to a 1-month smartphone-based intervention targeting ARSBs or a four-session relaxation video control.
Results: Baseline appearance concerns moderated condition effects such that, among those with elevated concerns, ARSB fading led to lower appearance concerns than control at post, while conditions did not differ among those with low concerns. Probing the moderated effect using the Johnson-Neyman technique indicated ARSB fading led to significantly lower appearance concerns at post among those scoring in the upper two thirds in appearance concerns (SMD = 0.39). ARSB fading also led to lower body dissatisfaction (SMD = 0.15-0.19) at post and follow-up, and among those high in appearance concerns, ARSB fading led to lower bulimic symptoms at post (SMD =…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 400 participants or records.
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