"Body, Mind, and Self: ACT With Psychoeducation for Female Students Facing Eating Challenges"

May 1, 2026 updated by: Shereen
Background: Disturbed eating attitudes are complex mental health conditions that often involve distorted body-image perception, low self-esteem, and heightened anxiety, and affect physical, emotional, and social well-being. Globally, they are considered major mental health problems, particularly among adolescents and young adults. So, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy integrated with psychoeducation on self-esteem, body-image perception, and anxiety among female university students with disturbed eating attitudes. Subjects and method: A quasi-experimental research (pre/post) two groups (study/control) design was utilized from JAN 2026 to APRIL 2026. Setting: The study was conducted at the four faculties, Menoufia University, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: A purposive sample of 120 students was selected from the previously mentioned setting. Tools of data collection: Five valid tools were used in data collection, tool 1: A structured interview questionnaire to assess socio-demographic characteristics of the studied subjects, tool 2: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) a widely used measure of self-esteem, tool 3: Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) to assess positive body image by measuring acceptance, favorable opinions, respect, and protective behaviors toward one's body, tool 4: Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms in adults and adolescents, tool 5: The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) widely used screening tools for identifying symptoms of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Data was analyzed at two points: pre- and post-intervention. Results: Showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the levels of self-esteem, body image perception, anxiety, and disturbed eating attitudes pre-intervention. But post intervention, the study group exhibited significant improvement in self-esteem, body image perception, anxiety, and disturbed eating attitudes. Conclusion: The acceptance and commitment therapy integrated with psychoeducation effectively enhances self-esteem, body-image perception, reduces anxiety, and improves disturbed eating attitudes among female university students with disturbed eating attitudes (study group). Recommendations: Offer simulation-based training for handling complex eating disorder cases, establish multidisciplinary teams (Nurses, psychologists, dietitians) for holistic care plans, Advocate for community awareness programs to reduce stigma and promote early intervention, and develop digital well-being initiatives, including social media detox strategies, as part of adolescence education.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Shibīn al Kawm, Egypt
        • Faculty of Nursing

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 and 25 years of age which is the range fit for college students,
  • had experience with disturbed eating attitudes,
  • able to communicate and participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • had severe psychiatric comorbidity (psychosis, substance abuse) or
  • cognitive impairment.
  • not willing to participate in the study,
  • not willing to provide written consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: study groups
will receive the sessions
Behavioral: receive acceptance and commitment therapy integrated with psychoeducation intervention sessions
-Study group students were divided into 6 subgroups of 10 students each. Each subgroup was provided with eight acceptance and commitment therapy integrated with psychoeducation intervention sessions (one session per week on each Sunday for eight consecutive weeks), each lasting approximately 45-60 minutes. The sessions were conducted by one researcher for each group, with six groups being accommodated per day. The sessions given for each researcher are two groups per day which take place from 10 am to 10:45 or 11 am and from 11:15 am to 12:00 or 12:15 pm. The program was implemented over a period of 8 weeks, completing the sessions within two months.
Active Comparator: control group
will not receive the sessions only regular care
Other: regular care
control group (N = 60): did not receive the acceptance and commitment therapy integrated with psychoeducation sessions during the study period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Score range: SCORE RANGE FROM 10 to 40
Time Frame: 8 weeks
HIGHER score means higher self-esteem
8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The Body Appreciation Scale, scores range 10-50
Time Frame: 8 weeks
high score mean higher or good body-image perception
8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Shereen

Collaborators

Menoufia University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 19, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

April 19, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 1, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ERCNMA 1000/4/1/192/26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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