"Have we done enough?" A cross-condition exploration of the experiences of parents caring for a child with an appearance-affecting condition or injury (2021)
Journal Article

Children and young people (CYP) with appearance-affecting conditions/injuries report common pervasive psychosocial difficulties, regardless of cause, nature or extent of their visible differences. Parents or carers can also experience psychosocial di... Read More about "Have we done enough?" A cross-condition exploration of the experiences of parents caring for a child with an appearance-affecting condition or injury.

Designing an mHealth intervention for people with visible differences based on acceptance and commitment therapy: Participatory study gaining stakeholders’ input (2021)
Journal Article

Background: Given their growing popularity, mobile health (mHealth) apps may offer a viable method of delivering psychological interventions for people with an atypical appearance (ie, visible difference) who struggle with appearance-related distress... Read More about Designing an mHealth intervention for people with visible differences based on acceptance and commitment therapy: Participatory study gaining stakeholders’ input.

‘Your face freezes and so does your life’: A qualitative exploration of adults’ psychosocial experiences of living with acquired facial palsy (2021)
Journal Article

Objectives: Facial palsy (FP) is a highly visible appearance-affecting condition and can have a significant impact on facial function. Qualitative research focussing on adults’ experiences of living with acquired FP is limited. This study aimed to ex... Read More about ‘Your face freezes and so does your life’: A qualitative exploration of adults’ psychosocial experiences of living with acquired facial palsy.

Investigating online psychological treatment for adolescents with a visible difference in the Dutch YP Face IT study: Protocol of a randomised controlled trial (2021)
Journal Article

Introduction This paper outlines the study protocol for the Dutch Young People (YP) Face IT Study. Adolescents with a visible difference (ie, disfigurement) often experience challenging social situations such as being stared at, receiving unwanted qu... Read More about Investigating online psychological treatment for adolescents with a visible difference in the Dutch YP Face IT study: Protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

A qualitative investigation of the acceptability and feasibility of a urinary tract infection patient information leaflet for older adults and their carers (2021)
Journal Article

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be life threatening in older adults. The aim of this study was to primarily understand the acceptability and feasibility of using a UTI leaflet for older adults in care homes and the community. Qualitative intervie... Read More about A qualitative investigation of the acceptability and feasibility of a urinary tract infection patient information leaflet for older adults and their carers.

Children’s attitudes and friendship behaviours towards socially stigmatised appearances: Do attitudes vary according to type of difference? (2021)
Journal Article

Appearance-based stereotyping and stigma emerge in early childhood and can exist by the age of 4 years. Children from stigmatized groups (e.g., higher weight and visible difference) are at increased risk of experiencing judgment and unwanted behavior... Read More about Children’s attitudes and friendship behaviours towards socially stigmatised appearances: Do attitudes vary according to type of difference?.

Patients’ experiences of an acceptance and commitment therapy-based approach for psychosocial difficulties relating to an appearance-affecting condition (2020)
Journal Article

Some individuals with appearance-affecting conditions experience psychosocial challenges such as social anxiety and avoidance. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may offer a suitable approach for these challenges. This qualitative study investig... Read More about Patients’ experiences of an acceptance and commitment therapy-based approach for psychosocial difficulties relating to an appearance-affecting condition.

Becoming known: Disclosure and exposure of (in)visible difference. (2020)
Journal Article

Bodily or physical differences constitute a class of potentially stigmatized characteristics. The existing literature confirms that those with appearance altering or disfiguring conditions (“visible differences”) may experience both felt and enacted... Read More about Becoming known: Disclosure and exposure of (in)visible difference..

‘Everybody’s Different: The Appearance Game’. A randomised controlled trial evaluating an appearance-related board game intervention with children aged 9-11 years (2020)
Journal Article

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational board game aimed at increasing knowledge of appearance-related issues, positive body image, media literacy, and acceptance of appearance diversity with British school children. Two hundred and... Read More about ‘Everybody’s Different: The Appearance Game’. A randomised controlled trial evaluating an appearance-related board game intervention with children aged 9-11 years.

The effectiveness of interventions to improve psychosocial outcomes in parents of children with appearance-affecting health conditions: A systematic review (2020)
Journal Article

Background: Although many cope well, the impact of supporting a child with an Appearance-Affecting Health Condition (AAHC) can place a significant demand on parents. As such, it is vital that families have access to appropriate psychosocial support t... Read More about The effectiveness of interventions to improve psychosocial outcomes in parents of children with appearance-affecting health conditions: A systematic review.

The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions to support psychological well-being in post-operative bariatric patients: A systematic review of evidence (2020)
Journal Article

Background: Bariatric surgery is considered an effective obesity management intervention for individuals with a BMI greater than 40, or 35 with co-morbidities. However, research documents that psychological difficulties prevalent amongst individuals... Read More about The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions to support psychological well-being in post-operative bariatric patients: A systematic review of evidence.

Appearance concerns, psychosocial outcomes, and the feasibility of implementing an online intervention for adolescents receiving outpatient burn care (2020)
Journal Article

The current study assessed the prevalence of appearance concerns, psychosocial difficulty, and use of an appearance-focused social and psychological support resource (Young Person's Face IT; YPF) within a population of teens (12-17 year-olds) receivi... Read More about Appearance concerns, psychosocial outcomes, and the feasibility of implementing an online intervention for adolescents receiving outpatient burn care.

Appearance concerns, psychosocial outcomes, and the feasibility of implementing an online intervention for adolescents receiving outpatient burn care (2020)
Journal Article

The current study assessed the prevalence of appearance concerns, psychosocial difficulty, and use of an appearance-focused social and psychological support resource (Young Person’s Face IT; YPF) within a population of teens (12-17 year-olds) receiv... Read More about Appearance concerns, psychosocial outcomes, and the feasibility of implementing an online intervention for adolescents receiving outpatient burn care.

www.SupportingChildrenWithBurns.co.uk: A website developed with parents and professionals for the psychosocial support of parents of burn-injured children (2020)
Journal Article

Therapeutic writing for disordered eating: A systematic review (2020)
Journal Article

A systematic review of the literature was carried out to assess whether therapeutic writing could improve outcomes for clients with disordered eating. Twelve studies were identified that met the review’s inclusion criteria. Each study was criticall... Read More about Therapeutic writing for disordered eating: A systematic review.

Anxiety and depression in adolescents with a visible difference: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2020)
Journal Article

Living with a visible difference can entail challenging social situations, associated with psychosocial symptoms. However, it is not clear whether adolescents with a visible difference experience more anxiety and depression than unaffected peers. We... Read More about Anxiety and depression in adolescents with a visible difference: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Australian health professionals’ perspectives of psychosocial adjustment to visible differences: A qualitative analysis of pediatric populations (2020)
Journal Article

Living with a visible difference (e.g., disfigurement) can compromise a child’s psychological wellbeing. Although some children can adjust well, others can develop a range of appearance-related issues such as social anxiety, low self-esteem, and body... Read More about Australian health professionals’ perspectives of psychosocial adjustment to visible differences: A qualitative analysis of pediatric populations.

Experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion mediate the relationship between body evaluation and unhelpful body image coping strategies in individuals with visible differences (2019)
Journal Article

Psychological flexibility, the capacity to be open to any internal stimuli and act in accordance with valued ends, has been identified as an explanatory variable in how people cope with body concerns. The role of psychological flexibility is unexplor... Read More about Experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion mediate the relationship between body evaluation and unhelpful body image coping strategies in individuals with visible differences.

A web-based self-help psychosocial intervention for adolescents distressed by appearance-affecting conditions and injuries (Young Persons’ Face IT): Feasibility study for a parallel randomized controlled trial (2019)
Journal Article

Background: Disfigurement (visible difference) from wide-ranging congenital or acquired conditions, injuries, or treatments can negatively impact adolescents’ psychological well-being, education and health behaviours. Alongside medical interventions,... Read More about A web-based self-help psychosocial intervention for adolescents distressed by appearance-affecting conditions and injuries (Young Persons’ Face IT): Feasibility study for a parallel randomized controlled trial.

Opening a Pandora's Box that can't be salvaged: Health professionals’ perceptions of appearance-related care in an Australian pediatric specialist hospital (2019)
Journal Article

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Many children and young people struggle adjusting to the psychosocial consequences (e.g., body dissatisfaction, social anxiety, and stigmatisation) of visible differences (or disfigurement). As appearance-affecting conditions ofte... Read More about Opening a Pandora's Box that can't be salvaged: Health professionals’ perceptions of appearance-related care in an Australian pediatric specialist hospital.