A RCT of an AEBT Website for Adults With Skin Picking

NCT ID: NCT05989737

Last Updated: 2023-12-13

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

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

84 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-08-11

Study Completion Date

2025-08-01

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to test an online intervention for adults with excoriation disorder (skin picking). The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is the online intervention effective, compared to a waitlist control condition?
2. Is the online intervention acceptable to use?

Participants will be randomized into either the online intervention or waitlist control condition:

1. Participants in the intervention condition will be asked to complete an 8 module acceptance-enhanced behavioral training (AEBT) program for skin picking and 4 surveys over 3 months.
2. Participants in the waitlist condition will be asked to complete 4 surveys over 3 months, and will receive access to the intervention once the study is complete.

Detailed Description

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Excoriation disorder, also known as skin picking, is a chronic repetitive condition that impacts an individual's daily functioning and causes clinically significant distress. Excoriation is estimated to impact between 2-5% of the general population, although some studies have found up to 14% prevalence rates in undergraduate samples. Acceptance-enhanced behavioral training (AEBT), has shown promising results for targeting skin picking symptoms. However, a recent study demonstrated that mental health providers have limited knowledge of skin picking and how to treat it effectively, creating a dearth of available treatment opportunities .

This study aims to address the gap in accessible evidence-based excoriation treatment by examining the efficacy and feasibility of a self-guided, online program based in AEBT. Participants will be recruited from across the United States from August to November 2023, and will be randomized into either the online intervention group or a waitlist control condition. All participants will complete online self-report assessments at baseline, mid-, post-intervention, and 1 month follow-up, and waitlist participants will be provided access to the program once the study is complete. For the primary aim evaluating efficacy, the investigators predict that both primary (skin picking severity) and secondary outcomes (psychological flexibility, well-being, and distress) will be significantly improved in the active treatment condition compared to a waitlist control group. For the secondary aim evaluating feasibility, the investigators predict that participants will report acceptable feasibility as measured through treatment adherence, reports of usability, and program feedback.

Conditions

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Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder

Keywords

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Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) Acceptance-enhanced behavioral training (AEBT)

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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AEBT online program

Participants will complete the 8-module intervention of Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy (AEBT). Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy is a manualized treatment approach created by Woods and Twohig 2008 that provides both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Habit Reversal Therapy.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acceptance-Enhanced Behavior Therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

8-module intervention delivering acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy through a fully automated website. This intervention was adapted from the Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy workbook (Woods \& Twohig, 2008).

Waitlist control

Waitlist condition; only assessment

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Acceptance-Enhanced Behavior Therapy

8-module intervention delivering acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy through a fully automated website. This intervention was adapted from the Acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy workbook (Woods \& Twohig, 2008).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* currently meet criteria for DSM-5 excoriation disorder
* at least 18 years old at intake
* fluent in English
* reside in the United States

Exclusion Criteria

* currently receiving alternative psychotherapy for skin picking
* modifying or starting psychotropic medication 30 days prior to starting the study
* currently living outside of the United States
* under the age of 18
* did not meet DSM-5 criteria for excoriation at the time of intake session
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Utah State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Michael Twohig, Ph.D.

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Utah State University

Logan, Utah, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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13693

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id