An interventional study of Safety Behavior Fading for Appearance Concerns and Relaxing Video in Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and Eating Disorders, sponsored by Florida State University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-15.
Sponsored by Florida State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
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.
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. The daily reminder will include the following language: "Hi! This is a friendly reminder to avoid using your checklist behaviors. Please tap the link below to access today's checklist: [link to checklist]." Text messages will be delivered using EZtexting a text messaging platform used for research and marketing. Note that no identifying information will be included in this platform. Each participants phone number will be accompanied with a anonymized ID code. 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.
56 studies on the registry are indexed under Body Dysmorphic Disorders; 11 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 401 is above the median of 52 across 44 interventional studies indexed under Body Dysmorphic Disorders.
Browse Body Dysmorphic Disorders studies →Florida State University is the lead sponsor of 249 studies on the registry; 47 are open to participants now.
Of its 16 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 9 (56%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
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
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
Participants are asked to reduce or eliminate safety behaviors via text message reminders and checklists to monitor progress.
Participants are asked to view weekly videos lasting 15 minutes each to engage in relaxation exercises.
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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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
Time frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Distress Intolerance Index (McHugh & Otto, 2012)
Self-report scale for measuring tolerance to distress for use in clinical outcome studies. Each item is rated on a 0-4 scale with a total score range of 0-40 with higher scores indicating greater intolerance of distress.
Time frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Concerns over mistakes subscale (Frost et al., 1990)
Self-report scale for measuring concerns for making mistakes for use in clinical outcome studies. Each item is rated on a 0-4 scale with a total score range of 0-36 with higher scores indicating greater concerns for making mistakes.
Time frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD; Andreson, 1994)
Self-report measure of depression symptom severity. Each item is rated on a 0 to 3 scale. Total scores range from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating greater depression severity.
Time frame: Day 0, Day 28, Day 56
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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