The Experience of Affective Touch in Obesity

NCT ID: NCT05768685

Last Updated: 2025-08-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

60 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-10-13

Study Completion Date

2024-10-01

Brief Summary

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The aim of the present research is to verify if the pleasantness of affective touch is comparable between women with obesity and healthy women, while measuring the level of social anhedonia and the lifespan experience of affective touch.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Obesity

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

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Cases

Right-handed women diagnosed with obesity will be consecutively recruited during their rehabilitative treatment at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, San Giuseppe Hospital (Italy). Concurrent neurological, neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism), motor, somatosensory and/or psychiatric disorders will be exclusion criteria, as well as the evidence of any skin-related condition possibly affecting sensitivity on the participants' forearm (e.g., eczema, scars)

Affective touch paradigm

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Affective touch paradigm: experimental stimuli will include the touch of a soft cosmetic, a hand, which will be both expected to resemble affective pleasant stimulations, and a plastic stick with a rounded tip, as a control (non-affective) condition. Two speeds of stimulation will be adopted i) slow affective stimuli delivered at 3 cm/s and fast non-affective stimuli, delivered at non-optimal speed (18 cm/s). An imagery version of the task will be also administered: blindfolded participants will be asked to image the touches on their left forearm. After each (actual or imagined) tactile stimulus, individuals will rate the experience level of pleasantness. As part of the protocol, they will fill out two psychological questionnaires, assessing the level of social anhedonia and the amount and characteristics of the lifespan experiences of affective touch inclose relationships.

Controls

Age-matched, right-handed, healthy women (i.e., with no history of eating disorders) will be recruited outside the hospital through personal contacts of the researchers and word-of-mouth.

Affective touch paradigm

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Affective touch paradigm: experimental stimuli will include the touch of a soft cosmetic, a hand, which will be both expected to resemble affective pleasant stimulations, and a plastic stick with a rounded tip, as a control (non-affective) condition. Two speeds of stimulation will be adopted i) slow affective stimuli delivered at 3 cm/s and fast non-affective stimuli, delivered at non-optimal speed (18 cm/s). An imagery version of the task will be also administered: blindfolded participants will be asked to image the touches on their left forearm. After each (actual or imagined) tactile stimulus, individuals will rate the experience level of pleasantness. As part of the protocol, they will fill out two psychological questionnaires, assessing the level of social anhedonia and the amount and characteristics of the lifespan experiences of affective touch inclose relationships.

Interventions

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Affective touch paradigm

Affective touch paradigm: experimental stimuli will include the touch of a soft cosmetic, a hand, which will be both expected to resemble affective pleasant stimulations, and a plastic stick with a rounded tip, as a control (non-affective) condition. Two speeds of stimulation will be adopted i) slow affective stimuli delivered at 3 cm/s and fast non-affective stimuli, delivered at non-optimal speed (18 cm/s). An imagery version of the task will be also administered: blindfolded participants will be asked to image the touches on their left forearm. After each (actual or imagined) tactile stimulus, individuals will rate the experience level of pleasantness. As part of the protocol, they will fill out two psychological questionnaires, assessing the level of social anhedonia and the amount and characteristics of the lifespan experiences of affective touch inclose relationships.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* right-handed;
* diagnosis of obesity (i.e., the level of body mass index (BMI( greater than or equal to 30).

Exclusion Criteria

* Concurrent neurological, neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism), motor, somatosensory and/or psychiatric disorders
* Evidence of any skin-related condition possibly affecting sensitivity on the participants' forearm (e.g., eczema, scars).
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Istituto Auxologico Italiano

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano - Ospedale San Giuseppe

Piancavallo, VCO, Italy

Site Status

Countries

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Italy

Other Identifiers

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21C128

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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