Comparing the Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy and Metacognitive Psychotherapy on Body Shame in Women Seeking Cosmetic Surgery

Seyedeh Samaneh Seraji; Saeid  Malihi Alzakerini; Gholam Reza Zakeri Poor; Maryam Bahrami Hidaji

Authors

Seyedeh Samaneh Seraji Department of Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9698-8533
Saeid Malihi Alzakerini Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran | Clinical Cares and Health Promotion Research Center, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6175-5349
Gholam Reza Zakeri Poor Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran | Clinical Cares and Health Promotion Research Center, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Author
Maryam Bahrami Hidaji Department of Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5560-5718

Keywords:

Cosmetic surgery, compassion-focused therapy, metacognitive psychotherapy, body shame

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and metacognitive psychotherapy (MCT) in reducing body shame among women seeking cosmetic surgery.

Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a three-group pretest–posttest design with a follow-up assessment and a control group. The statistical population consisted of women seeking cosmetic surgery who attended plastic surgery clinics and hospitals in Tehran during the summer and autumn of 2023. Using purposive sampling and predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 45 eligible participants were recruited and randomly assigned to a compassion-focused therapy group (n = 15), a metacognitive psychotherapy group (n = 15), or a control group (n = 15). Participants in all three groups completed the Body Image Shame Scale developed by Duarte et al. at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments. The intervention groups received their respective therapeutic protocols, whereas the control group received no psychological intervention during the study period. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance in SPSS version 26 to examine within-group changes over time and between-group differences in body shame.

Findings: Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant effect of time on body shame and a significant time-by-group interaction, demonstrating that changes in body shame differed across the three groups. Both compassion-focused therapy and metacognitive psychotherapy produced significantly greater reductions in body shame from pretest to posttest and follow-up compared with the control condition. Furthermore, pairwise comparisons showed that the reduction in body shame was significantly greater in the compassion-focused therapy group than in the metacognitive psychotherapy group, indicating a comparatively stronger therapeutic effect of compassion-focused therapy.

Conclusion: Both compassion-focused therapy and metacognitive psychotherapy appear effective for reducing body shame in women seeking cosmetic surgery; however, compassion-focused therapy may provide greater improvement and can be considered a particularly relevant psychological intervention for this population.

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