Shepherd, L., Reynolds, D., Turner, A. et al. (2 more authors) (2019) The role of psychological flexibility in appearance anxiety in people who have experienced a visible burn injury. Burns, 45 (4). pp. 942-949. ISSN 0305-4179
Abstract
Background Individuals with visible differences can experience appearance anxiety that is distressing and disruptive to daily functioning. Understanding psychological factors that maintain appearance anxiety related to scarring is important in developing theoretical understanding of adjustment to injury, and in identifying targets for psychological therapies. This study aimed to investigate whether psychological flexibility, a key element underpinning acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), was associated with appearance anxiety. It was hypothesised that reduced psychological flexibility (lower acceptance, cognitive defusion, mindfulness, and committed action) would be related to increased appearance anxiety. The role of psychological flexibility in the maintenance of appearance anxiety was investigated using a cross-sectional quantitative questionnaire study.
Method Seventy-eight burns patients (47 female, 31 male; M age = 45.2 years) completed the Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS-24), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ-8).
Results As hypothesised, increased appearance anxiety was related to reduced acceptance (rs(76) = 0.80, p < 0.001, one-tailed) and cognitive defusion (rs(76) = 0.76, p < 0.001). Reduced levels of mindfully describing (r(72) = −0.39, p < 0.001), acting with awareness (r(72) = −0.57, p < 0.001), non-judging (r(72) = −0.61, p < 0.001) and non-reactivity (r(72) = −0.28, p < 0.01) as well as reduced committed action (r(72) = −0.57, p < 0.001) were also related to increased appearance anxiety.
Conclusions Individuals experiencing appearance anxiety associated with a burn injury may struggle with accepting difficult emotions, stepping back from distressing thoughts, being mindful and engaging in valued action. These findings suggest that ACT may be useful in treating appearance related anxiety and concerns associated with conditions causing a visible difference.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Burns. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Burn; appearance; disfigurement; visible difference; psychological flexibility; acceptance and commitment therapy; ACT |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Dec 2018 10:29 |
Last Modified: | 11 Nov 2021 09:52 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.burns.2018.11.015 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:139531 |
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Filename: Shepherd et al. Cog Flexibility Burns 2018.pdf
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0