The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy on the Improvement of Postmenopausal Women’s Body Image: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: The physiological changes in postmenopausal women, especially age-related physical changes, may lead to negative experiences in body image among these women. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on the negative body image of postmenopausal women. Methods: This parallel randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 22 eligible postmenopausal women attending a health care center in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2018. They were randomly selected and assigned to intervention and control groups (n = 11 per group). The intervention group attended eight 90-minute sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based on the Cash 8-step model. All participants completed the body image concern inventory (BICI) and Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention. The chi-square test, independent t-test, and repeated measures test were used to investigate the trend of changes in BICI and MBSRQ and their domains over time in both groups. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant for all tests. Results: Before the intervention, there were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics (such as age, age of menopause, and body mass index (BMI)) between the 2 groups; also, there were no statistically significant differences in the mean scores of MBSRQ and BICI between the 2 groups (P < 0.05). After the intervention, a significant increase was observed in the mean scores of MBSRQ and its 3 out of 6 domains (appearance evaluation (AE), appearance orientation (AO), and body areas satisfaction (BAS); P < 0.05), while a significant decrease was observed in the mean scores of BICI in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Cognitive behavioral group therapy based on the Cash 8-step model in postmenopausal women can promote satisfaction with their body image.