A cognitive dissonance body image intervention ‘Free Being Me’ delivered by guide leaders to adolescent girl guides in India: A pilot and acceptability trial

Paraskeva, Nicole, Pegram, Georgina, Goel, Radhika, Mandhaani, Manika, Suneja, Vanya, White, Paul and Diedrichs, Phillippa C. (2023) A cognitive dissonance body image intervention ‘Free Being Me’ delivered by guide leaders to adolescent girl guides in India: A pilot and acceptability trial. Body Image, 48: 101658. ISSN 1740-1445 | 1873-6807

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Abstract

This pilot study assessed the acceptability and pre-post intervention effects of a cognitive dissonance-based body image intervention, Free Being Me, delivered by Guide leaders to adolescent girls in India. Girls aged 11–14 years (Mage = 12.6, N = 117), who were members of the national scouting and guiding association of India, received the intervention across five weekly 1-hour group sessions. The primary outcome (body esteem) and secondary outcomes (self-esteem, internalisation of appearance ideals, negative and positive affect, and life disengagement) were measured pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention. The intervention was acceptable. Adolescent girls reported high levels of comfort (89%), enjoyment (90%), and perceived importance (92%) with suggestions for improvement including more interactive activities. Facilitator adherence and competence delivering Free Being Me was rated good. Significant within-groups pre-post intervention improvements in body esteem (Cohen’s d = 0.28) and reductions in internalisation of appearance ideals (Cohen’s d = 0.49) were identified. No changes to self-esteem, negative or positive affect, or life disengagement were observed. This study suggests that Free Being Me is acceptable for community-based delivery and Guide leader format with promising pre-post intervention effects. Going forward, a randomised controlled trial is necessary to make confident interpretations on the effectiveness of Free Being Me

Item Type: Article
Keywords: India | Body esteem | Dissonance-based intervention | Acceptability | Pilot | Adolescent girls
Subjects: Social Sciences and humanities > Psychology > Applied Psychology
Social Sciences and humanities > Psychology > Social Psychology
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Social Sciences (General)
JGU School/Centre: Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities
Depositing User: Subhajit Bhattacharjee
Date Deposited: 26 Dec 2023 10:04
Last Modified: 03 Jan 2024 11:58
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101658
Funders: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and the Dove Self-Esteem Project (Unilever)
URI: https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/7119

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