The role of psychological flexibility in appearance anxiety.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the role of psychological flexibility (acceptance, mindfulness, cognitive defusion and committed action) in appearance anxiety following burn injuries.
IRAS ID
238900
Contact name
Laura Shepherd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Burns patients can experience anxiety about their appearance due to their scarring. This can be distressing and disruptive to patients’ lives. For example, it can lead to patients avoiding social situations and relationships for fear of negative reactions from others. Understanding what psychological factors maintain appearance anxiety is therefore important, and the proposed research study will explore this. Specifically, it will aim to investigate whether the ability to stand back from distressing thoughts (cognitive defusion), stay in the here-and-now (mindfulness), be willing to experience distressing emotions (acceptance), and do what matters (valued committed action) despite difficult emotions and thoughts, collectively known as ‘psychological flexibility’, is related to appearance anxiety following a burn injury. The results may provide information that can help develop psychological interventions for people struggling with appearance anxiety following a burns injury or experiencing a visible difference. Specifically, if ‘psychological flexibility’ was found to be important in keeping appearance anxiety going, then it would lend support for psychological interventions to reduce appearance anxiety to be developed which would include these psychological flexibility components (e.g. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). These psychological interventions would directly impact burns patients (or indeed other patient groups with appearance-altering conditions), to reduce appearance anxiety and enhance psychological wellbeing.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/YH/0079
Date of REC Opinion
28 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion