JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Adolescents with a condition affecting their appearance that results in a visible difference can be at risk of psychosocial distress and impaired adjustment. Evidence for the effectiveness of existing interventions in improving psychosocial outcomes is limited and relevant treatment can be difficult to access. Young Person’s Face IT (YPF), a novel self-guided web-based intervention, has demonstrated potential in reducing social anxiety in adolescents with visible differences. However, more knowledge is needed regarding factors that contribute to variations in intervention effects in order to identify which adolescents may benefit most from YPF.

Objective:

This study aimed to identify predictors related to overall intervention effects following adolescents’ use of YPF.

Methods:

N=71 adolescents (61% girls; mean age 13.98, range 11–18 years) with a wide range of visible differences completed primary (body esteem and social anxiety symptoms) and secondary (perceived stigmatization, life disengagement, and self-rated health) outcome measures, at baseline and post-intervention. Predictor variables were demographic (age and gender), psychosocial (frequency of teasing experiences related to aspects of body and appearance, and depressive and/or anxiety symptoms), and intervention-related (time spent on YPF) factors.

Results:

Backward multiple regression revealed that higher intervention effects were predicted by gender, baseline frequency of teasing experiences, levels of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, and time spent on YPF. However, the results were limited by low proportion of explained post-intervention variance, ranging from 1.6 to 24.1%.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that adolescent boys, adolescents who experience higher levels of psychosocial distress related to their visible difference, and adolescents that spend sufficient time on YPF, may obtain better overall intervention effects. Clinical Trial: NCT03165331.