Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies
Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies
Volume 16 - Vol 16, 2026
MEJDS (2026) 16: 10 |
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Ethics code: IR.IAU.KHSH.REC.1403.257
Clinical trials code: 0009-0005-5354-3505
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Hashemi Najafabadi S A, Lali M, Sajjadian P S, Dehghani A. Comparing the Effectiveness of Mentalization-Based Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotion Regulation of Women with Body Dysmorphic Disorder Seeking Cosmetic Surgery. MEJDS 2026; 16 :10
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3685-en.html
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3685-en.html
1- PhD student in Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2- PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Isfahan, Iran
3- PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2- PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Isfahan, Iran
3- PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
Abstract: (655 Views)
Background & Objectives: One of the common psychological problems among candidates for cosmetic surgery is body dysmorphic disorder. A prominent issue among these individuals is difficulty in emotion regulation. Mentalization–based therapy (MBT) appears to be a promising approach for improving emotion regulation. This therapeutic approach focuses primarily on an individual's current mental states and aims to develop representations of internal experiences. In addition, Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has received considerable attention in this area. This therapeutic approach conceptualizes psychological difficulties as being largely rooted in psychological inflexibility. Given the role of emotion dysregulation in the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery, identifying effective interventions to enhance emotion regulation skills—with the ultimate goal of reducing the tendency toward cosmetic surgery among women with body dysmorphic disorder—is of considerable importance. Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of mentalization–based therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy in improving emotion regulation among women with body dysmorphic disorder who were seeking cosmetic surgery.
Methods: The present study employed a quasi–experimental method with a pretest–posttest and a three–month follow–up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of women with body dysmorphic disorder who were seeking cosmetic surgery and had attended specialized cosmetic surgery centers in Isfahan during the second half of 2023. Considering a minimum sample size of 15 participants per group and the possibility of attrition, 54 eligible individuals who were willing to participate were purposively recruited. Participants were then assigned to three groups: a mentalization–based therapy group (n=18), an acceptance and commitment therapy group (n=18), and a control group (n=18). The inclusion criteria were as follows: a diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder confirmed by a clinical psychologist; a score above 20 on the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD–YBOCS); age between 18 and 30 years; absence of acute or chronic psychiatric disorders as confirmed by a clinical psychologist; no concurrent participation in other psychological treatments; no use of psychiatric medications during the preceding three months, based on self–report; absence of physical illnesses that could interfere with participation in the study. The exclusion criteria included undergoing cosmetic surgery during the study period, lack of cooperation, failure to complete assigned session tasks, and absence from more than two treatment sessions. The research instruments were the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) (Gross & John, 2003) and the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD–YBOCS) (Phillips et al., 1997). Participants in the first experimental group received mentalization–based therapy, while those in the second experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy. Both interventions were delivered in twenty 45–minute sessions held twice weekly. After data collection, descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to summarize the data. At the inferential level, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi–square tests were employed to examine participants’ demographic characteristics. To test the study hypotheses, repeated–measures analysis of variance (repeated measures ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 26, and the level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Results: The results indicated that in both the mentalization–based therapy group and the acceptance and commitment therapy group, significant differences were observed in reappraisal between the pretest and both the posttest and follow–up assessments (p=0.001). However, no significant difference was found between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p>0.05). In the acceptance and commitment therapy group, significant differences in suppression were observed between the pretest and both the posttest and follow–up assessments, as well as between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p<0.05). In addition, in the mentalization–based therapy group, a significant difference in suppression was found between the pretest and posttest assessments (p=0.011); however, no significant differences were observed between the pretest and follow–up assessments or between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, both mentalization–based therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy are effective interventions for enhancing emotion regulation in women with body dysmorphic disorder seeking cosmetic surgery. Nevertheless, acceptance and commitment therapy showed superior efficacy compared to mentalization–based therapy.
Methods: The present study employed a quasi–experimental method with a pretest–posttest and a three–month follow–up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of women with body dysmorphic disorder who were seeking cosmetic surgery and had attended specialized cosmetic surgery centers in Isfahan during the second half of 2023. Considering a minimum sample size of 15 participants per group and the possibility of attrition, 54 eligible individuals who were willing to participate were purposively recruited. Participants were then assigned to three groups: a mentalization–based therapy group (n=18), an acceptance and commitment therapy group (n=18), and a control group (n=18). The inclusion criteria were as follows: a diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder confirmed by a clinical psychologist; a score above 20 on the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD–YBOCS); age between 18 and 30 years; absence of acute or chronic psychiatric disorders as confirmed by a clinical psychologist; no concurrent participation in other psychological treatments; no use of psychiatric medications during the preceding three months, based on self–report; absence of physical illnesses that could interfere with participation in the study. The exclusion criteria included undergoing cosmetic surgery during the study period, lack of cooperation, failure to complete assigned session tasks, and absence from more than two treatment sessions. The research instruments were the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) (Gross & John, 2003) and the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD–YBOCS) (Phillips et al., 1997). Participants in the first experimental group received mentalization–based therapy, while those in the second experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy. Both interventions were delivered in twenty 45–minute sessions held twice weekly. After data collection, descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to summarize the data. At the inferential level, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi–square tests were employed to examine participants’ demographic characteristics. To test the study hypotheses, repeated–measures analysis of variance (repeated measures ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 26, and the level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Results: The results indicated that in both the mentalization–based therapy group and the acceptance and commitment therapy group, significant differences were observed in reappraisal between the pretest and both the posttest and follow–up assessments (p=0.001). However, no significant difference was found between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p>0.05). In the acceptance and commitment therapy group, significant differences in suppression were observed between the pretest and both the posttest and follow–up assessments, as well as between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p<0.05). In addition, in the mentalization–based therapy group, a significant difference in suppression was found between the pretest and posttest assessments (p=0.011); however, no significant differences were observed between the pretest and follow–up assessments or between the posttest and follow–up assessments (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, both mentalization–based therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy are effective interventions for enhancing emotion regulation in women with body dysmorphic disorder seeking cosmetic surgery. Nevertheless, acceptance and commitment therapy showed superior efficacy compared to mentalization–based therapy.
Keywords: Body dysmorphic disorder, Mentalization–based therapy, Acceptance and commitment therapy, Emotion regulation
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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