Effects of an appreciation of beauty randomized-controlled trial web-based intervention on appreciation of beauty and well-being.

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Luisa Martínez-Martí ◽  
María Dolores Avia ◽  
María José Hernández-Lloreda
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Perucho ◽  
Kamalakannan M Vijayakumar ◽  
Sean N Talamas ◽  
Michael Wei-Liang Chee ◽  
David I Perrett ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Receiving insufficient sleep has wide-ranging consequences for health and well-being. Although educational programs have been developed to promote sleep, these have had limited success in extending sleep duration. To address this gap, we developed a Web-based program emphasizing how physical appearances change with varying amounts of sleep. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) whether participants can detect changes in appearances as a function of sleep and (2) whether this intervention can alter habitual sleep patterns. METHODS We conducted a 5-week, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial among 70 habitual short sleepers (healthy adults who reported having &lt;7 hours of sleep routinely). Upon study enrollment, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either standard information or an appearance-based intervention. Both groups received educational materials about sleep, but those in the appearance group also viewed a website containing digitally edited photographs that showed how they would look with varying amounts of sleep. As the outcome variables, sleep duration was monitored objectively via actigraphy (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 1 and 4), and participants completed a measure of sleep hygiene (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 2, 4, and 5). For each outcome, we ran intention-to-treat analyses using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS In total, 35 participants were assigned to each group. Validating the intervention, participants in the appearance group (1) were able to identify what they looked like at baseline and (2) judged that they would look more attractive with a longer sleep duration (<italic>t</italic><sub>26</sub>=10.35, <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). In turn, this translated to changes in sleep hygiene. Whereas participants in the appearance group showed improvements following the intervention (<italic>F</italic><sub>1,107.99</sub>=9.05, <italic>P</italic>=.003), those in the information group did not (<italic>F</italic><sub>1,84.7</sub>=0.19, <italic>P</italic>=.66). Finally, there was no significant effect of group nor interaction of group and time on actigraphy-measured sleep duration (smallest <italic>P</italic>=.26). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that an appearance-based intervention, while not sufficient as a stand-alone, could have an adjunctive role in sleep promotion. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02491138; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02491138.


10.2196/12500 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. e12500
Author(s):  
Isabel Perucho ◽  
Kamalakannan M Vijayakumar ◽  
Sean N Talamas ◽  
Michael Wei-Liang Chee ◽  
David I Perrett ◽  
...  

Background Receiving insufficient sleep has wide-ranging consequences for health and well-being. Although educational programs have been developed to promote sleep, these have had limited success in extending sleep duration. To address this gap, we developed a Web-based program emphasizing how physical appearances change with varying amounts of sleep. Objective The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) whether participants can detect changes in appearances as a function of sleep and (2) whether this intervention can alter habitual sleep patterns. Methods We conducted a 5-week, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial among 70 habitual short sleepers (healthy adults who reported having <7 hours of sleep routinely). Upon study enrollment, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either standard information or an appearance-based intervention. Both groups received educational materials about sleep, but those in the appearance group also viewed a website containing digitally edited photographs that showed how they would look with varying amounts of sleep. As the outcome variables, sleep duration was monitored objectively via actigraphy (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 1 and 4), and participants completed a measure of sleep hygiene (at baseline and at postintervention weeks 2, 4, and 5). For each outcome, we ran intention-to-treat analyses using linear mixed-effects models. Results In total, 35 participants were assigned to each group. Validating the intervention, participants in the appearance group (1) were able to identify what they looked like at baseline and (2) judged that they would look more attractive with a longer sleep duration (t26=10.35, P<.001). In turn, this translated to changes in sleep hygiene. Whereas participants in the appearance group showed improvements following the intervention (F1,107.99=9.05, P=.003), those in the information group did not (F1,84.7=0.19, P=.66). Finally, there was no significant effect of group nor interaction of group and time on actigraphy-measured sleep duration (smallest P=.26). Conclusions Our findings suggest that an appearance-based intervention, while not sufficient as a stand-alone, could have an adjunctive role in sleep promotion. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02491138; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT02491138.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. e50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janine Clarke ◽  
Veronica Vatiliotis ◽  
Charles F Verge ◽  
Jane Holmes-Walker ◽  
Lesley V Campbell ◽  
...  

10.2196/20167 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. e20167
Author(s):  
Angel Enrique Roig ◽  
Olwyn Mooney ◽  
Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria ◽  
Chi Tak Lee ◽  
Simon Farrell ◽  
...  

Background College students are at elevated risk for developing mental health problems and face specific barriers around accessing evidence-based treatment. Web-based interventions that focus on mental health promotion and strengthening resilience represent one possible solution. Providing support to users has shown to reduce dropout in these interventions. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy and acceptability of these interventions and explore the viability of automating support. Objective This study investigated the feasibility of a new web-based resilience program based on positive psychology, provided with human or automated support, in a sample of college students. Methods A 3-armed closed pilot randomized controlled trial design was used. Participants were randomized to the intervention with human support (n=29), intervention with automated support (n=26), or waiting list (n=28) group. Primary outcomes were resilience and well-being, respectively measured by the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale and Pemberton Happiness Index. Secondary outcomes included measures of depression and anxiety, self-esteem, and stress. Outcomes were self-assessed through online questionnaires. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. Results All participants demonstrated significant improvements in resilience and related outcomes, including an unexpected improvement in the waiting list group. Within- and between-group effect sizes ranged from small to moderate and within-group effects were typically larger for the human than automated support group. A total of 36 participants began the program and completed 46.46% of it on average. Participants were generally satisfied with the program and found it easy to use. Conclusions Findings support the feasibility of the intervention. Preliminary evidence for the equal benefit of human and automated support needs to be supported by further research with a larger sample. Results of this study will inform the development of a full-scale trial, from which stronger conclusions may be drawn. Trial Registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 11866034; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11866034 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1016/j.invent.2019.100254


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Enrique Roig ◽  
Olwyn Mooney ◽  
Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria ◽  
Chi Tak Lee ◽  
Simon Farrell ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND College students are at elevated risk for developing mental health problems and face specific barriers around accessing evidence-based treatment. Web-based interventions that focus on mental health promotion and strengthening resilience represent one possible solution. Providing support to users has shown to reduce dropout in these interventions. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy and acceptability of these interventions and explore the viability of automating support. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the feasibility of a new web-based resilience program based on positive psychology, provided with human or automated support, in a sample of college students. METHODS A 3-armed closed pilot randomized controlled trial design was used. Participants were randomized to the intervention with human support (n=29), intervention with automated support (n=26), or waiting list (n=28) group. Primary outcomes were resilience and well-being, respectively measured by the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale and Pemberton Happiness Index. Secondary outcomes included measures of depression and anxiety, self-esteem, and stress. Outcomes were self-assessed through online questionnaires. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. RESULTS All participants demonstrated significant improvements in resilience and related outcomes, including an unexpected improvement in the waiting list group. Within- and between-group effect sizes ranged from small to moderate and within-group effects were typically larger for the human than automated support group. A total of 36 participants began the program and completed 46.46% of it on average. Participants were generally satisfied with the program and found it easy to use. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the feasibility of the intervention. Preliminary evidence for the equal benefit of human and automated support needs to be supported by further research with a larger sample. Results of this study will inform the development of a full-scale trial, from which stronger conclusions may be drawn. CLINICALTRIAL International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 11866034; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11866034 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1016/j.invent.2019.100254


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