Examining the Effectiveness of Self-Acceptance Group Therapy

Completed · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Shame

In brief

When people feel shame, they experience negative thoughts about themselves ("I'm a bad person") and urges to avoid others. Shame is related to many psychological problems, such as depression, social anxiety, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Because there are currently no well-tested treatments for shame, this study will examine the utility of Self-Acceptance Group Therapy (SAGT). SAGT is short-term group therapy that addresses shame specifically. Changes in shame, mood, and behavior will be examined over the course of treatment and a one-month follow-up. Based on theory and existing evidence, Hypothesis 1a is that individuals with elevated initial levels of shame will report improvements on all outcome measures (e.g., reductions in trait shame, increases in self-acceptance) from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and Hypothesis 1b is that these gains will be maintained at follow-up one month after treatment completion.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02121561

Run by

University of Mississippi Medical Center

People needed

35

Starts

2014-04-01

Expected to finish

2015-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2015-07-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Eligible participants will be adults (age 18 or older) who are fluent in English (as all materials will be presented in English) and report elevated levels of trait shame on the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS) at screening. Specifically, based on past research, individuals must score at least 55 on the ESS screening items, which is consistent with levels of shame often reported by clinical samples. In addition, all interested individuals must have a therapist/case manager/psychiatrist who provides them with individual psychotherapy on a regular basis and for whom the participant is willing to sign an Authorization for Release of Health Information.

You may not qualify if…

• Individuals will be excluded from the present study if they do not report significant difficulties with shame (i.e. ESS screening item scores less than 55), do not have an individual therapist/case manager/psychiatrist who monitors and addresses their broader mental health concerns, are experiencing active psychosis (i.e. delusions and/or hallucinations), or are experiencing an episode of mania.

Where it is running

• University of Mississippi Medical Center — Jackson, Mississippi, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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