ArticleJournal of contemporary psychotherapy2018
A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Body Image Dissatisfaction and Weight Self-Stigma in Adults.
Article in Journal of contemporary psychotherapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A meta-analysis of associations between weight bias internalization and conceptually-related correlates: A step towards improving construct validity.Clinical psychology review · 2022Pooled it
- The Role of Emotion Regulation in Eating Disorders: A Network Meta-Analysis Approach.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- A randomized controlled trial of an acceptance and commitment therapy-informed diabetes prevention program reduces body shame and distress.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2025Trial
- Brief Self-Compassion Intervention for Women of Higher Weight and Internalized Weight Bias: A Randomized Pilot Study.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2025Trial
- Examining the role of experiential avoidance and valued action in the negative effects of weight self-stigma.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Trial
- Two randomized controlled trials of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy-based educational course for body shape dissatisfaction.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2021Trial
- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Distress Tolerance Treatment for Weight Concern in Smoking Cessation Among Women.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2020Trial
- Does Exposure to Thin Ideal Bodies Increase Self-Disgust?Europe's journal of psychology · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for weight stigma and related psychological outcomes: a systematic review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2026Article
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Obesity.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Associations between weight stigma and mental well-being among people in romantic relationships: an actor-partner interdependence model investigation.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Culture and body image: subcultural variations in coping strategies and their associations with psychological distress among European Canadians and East Asian Canadians.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Associations between weight stigma and exercise avoidance motivation among college students: exploring the roles of internalized weight stigma and social anxiety.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- Current trends and future directions in internalized weight stigma research: a scoping review and synthesis of the literature.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- A qualitative study of perceived barriers and facilitators to interrupting sedentary behavior among adults living with obesity.Obesity science & practice · 2024Article
- Psychosexual counseling intervention to improve women's genital self-image: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial based on a multistage mixed method design.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Evaluation of a culturally adapted cognitive behavior therapy-based, third-wave therapy manual.World journal of psychiatry · 2023Article
- The Association between Alexithymia and Social Media Addiction: Exploring the Role of Dysmorphic Symptoms, Symptoms Interference, and Self-Esteem, Controlling for Age and Gender.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Cognitive Defusion and Psychological Flexibility Predict Negative Body Image in the Chinese College Students: Evidence from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Body image dissatisfaction (BID) and weight self-stigma are prevalent and associated with physical and psychological ill-health. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is increasingly employed for both, yet little is known about its effectiveness. Searches of 12 databases identified six studies using online, face-to-face or self-help ACT interventions for BID or weight self-stigma, of varying duration and intensity. Their effectiveness and quality were evaluated. Two reported improved BID, three improved weight self-stigma, and one reported no impact on weight self-stigma. Methodological issues (small sample sizes, lack of allocation concealment, attention control and long-term follow up) impacted the validity of findings. Due to the small number of studies and poor study quality, the effectiveness of ACT for BID and weight self-stigma remains unclear. Nonetheless findings suggest psychological flexibility may facilitate reduction in BID and weight self-stigma and indicate that brief online as well as lengthy face-to-face delivery may be useful. Suggestions for further research are made.
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Registered trials
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