Smart-Phone Safety Behavior Fading Intervention for Appearance Concerns (Open ARSB Study)

NCT06896435 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00005977
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 401
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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

Conditions

Body Dysmorphic Disorder; Social Anxiety Disorder; Eating Disorders

Keywords

appearance concerns; safety behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS; Hart et al., 2008)

  Self-report scale that measures appearance anxiety symptoms. Scores range from 16 to 80 with higher scores indicating higher levels of appearance concerns.

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

• Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN; Connor et al., 2000)

  Self-report scale that measures social anxiety symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 68 with higher scores indicating higher levels of social anxiety.

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

• Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire (Devilly & Borkovec, 2000).

  Self-report scale for measuring treatment expectancy and rationale credibility for use in clinical outcome studies. Three items are rated on a 0-10 scale and one item is rated on a 0-100 scale with higher scores meaning greater expectancy and credibility.

  Day 0

• Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI; Garner et al., 1983).

  Self-report scale for measuring drive for thinness, bulimia, and body dissatisfaction for use in clinical outcome studies. Each item is rated on a 0-5 scale with a total score range of 0-125 with higher scores indicating greater drive for thinness, bulimia, and body dissatisfaction.

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

• Appearance Behaviors Checklist past-week version (author constructed)

  Self-report scale used to measure frequency of engaging in appearance-related safety behaviors. This scale will be used as a manipulation check. Each item is rated on a 0 to 10 scale. Total scores range from 0 to 130 with higher scores indicating greater engagement in appearance-related safety behaviors

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Distress Intolerance Index (McHugh & Otto, 2012)

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

• Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Concerns over mistakes subscale (Frost et al., 1990)

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

• Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD; Andreson, 1994)

  Day 0, Day 28, Day 56

Study Arms (2)

Safety Behavior Fading

EXPERIMENTAL

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 engaged in each safety behavior over the previous day.

Behavioral: Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns

Relaxing Video

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Individuals randomly assigned to the relaxing video condition will receive a total of 4 videos over the course of a month (1 video per week, 15 minutes each) wherein participants will be invited to close their eyes and focus their attention on the present moment while listening to relaxing piano music and songbirds.

Behavioral: Relaxing Video

Interventions

Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns BEHAVIORAL

Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate safety behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.

Safety Behavior Fading

Relaxing Video BEHAVIORAL

Participants are asked to view weekly videos lasting 15 minutes each to engage in relaxation exercises.

Relaxing Video

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Seeking treatment for appearance concerns

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Florida State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida, 32304, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Body Dysmorphic Disorders; Phobia, Social; Feeding and Eating Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Somatoform Disorders; Mental Disorders; Phobic Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Jesse Cougle, Doctor of Philosophy

  Florida State University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants are randomized to one of two conditions

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2025
• First Posted: March 26, 2025
• Study Start: April 15, 2025
• Primary Completion: September 8, 2025
• Study Completion: September 8, 2025
• Last Updated: September 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)