Effectiveness of body exposure for the treatment of body image disturbance : A meta-analysis

Abstract

Body image disturbance (BID) is a defining feature of several psychiatric disorders, notably eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder. Although body exposure (BE) has been proposed as an effective intervention, the strength of its effects and the factors influencing its efficacy remain uncertain. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials in which BE was delivered as a stand-alone intervention. Outcomes included negative affect, BID-related measures, arousal, and disorder-specific symptoms. Potential moderators (e.g., attention focus, facilitator presence) were examined. BE produced moderate effects on BID-related measures (0.60, 95 % CI [0.40, 0.80]) and disorder-specific symptoms (0.76, 95 % CI [0.15, 1.36]), but did not significantly reduce negative affect (0.30, 95 % CI [−0.07, 0.67]). Arousal could not be assessed due to insufficient data, and no significant moderators emerged, likely reflecting the small, heterogeneous evidence base. These results support BE as an effective approach for reducing BID and disorder-specific symptoms and highlight the need for experimental research comparing BE variations and targeting broader outcome domains to guide individualized, evidence-based clinical practice.