A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for body dysmorphic disorder: Impact on core symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and executive functioning.
Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry December 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101869 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 116 |
| Population | Patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention with assessments at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Bdd Emotion dysregulation Executive functioning Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Key findings | Patients with BDD who received 8 weeks of MBCT showed greater improvement than treatment-as-usual controls on self-reported and clinician-rated BDD symptoms, self-reported emotion dysregulation, and self-reported executive function, while improvement on executive function tasks was only partially supported. The authors report feasibility and acceptability were positive and conclude MBCT may be a useful intervention for BDD. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is garnering increasing empirical interest as an intervention for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), although no studies of mindfulness as a standalone treatment have included a sample composed entirely of patients with BDD or a comparison group. The aim of this study was to investigate the improvement of MBCT intervention on the core symptoms, emotional dysfunction, and executive function of BDD patients, as well as the feasibility and acceptability of MBCT training. Patients with BDD were randomized into an 8-week MBCT group (n = 58) or treatment-as-usual (TAU) control group (n = 58) and were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Participants who received MBCT showed greater improvement on self-reported and clinician ratings of BDD symptoms, self-reported emotion dysregulation symptoms and executive function compared with TAU participants. Improvement for executive function tasks was partially supported. In addition, feasibility and acceptability of MBCT training were positive. There is no systematic assessment of the severity of key potential outcome variables associated with BDD. MBCT may be a useful intervention for patients with BDD, improving patients' BDD symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and executive functioning.