Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in improving interpersonal problems, quality of life, and worry in patients with body dysmorphic disorder

Abstract

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common yet understudied disorder of perceived flaws in one’s appearance. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in improving interpersonal problems, quality of life, and worry in patients with BDD. Methods: This was a single-case research with multiple baseline design. Six eligible cases were recruited from among the clients of a cosmetic center in Tehran city during 2015–16. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, WHOQOL-BREF, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire were used for data collection. The intervention included 8 weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy. Data were collected before intervention, after 4th session, after intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Descriptive statistics was used for data analysis by using SPSS 22. Results: Mean score for interpersonal problems decreased from 65 at pre-intervention to 39 at 3-month follow-up, and that for worry decreased from 59 to 33. All domains of quality of life increased at 3-month follow-up compared with pre-intervention: physical domain increased from 41 to 75, psychological domain from 36 to 72, social domain from 32 to 75, and environment domain from 41 to 73. Conclusion: ACT can be considered an effective approach to improving interpersonal problems, quality of life, and worry in patients with BDD.