Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy
Volume
39
Issue
4
Publisher
Springer Publishing Company
Publication Date
12-2025
Journal Article Version
Accepted Manuscript
First Page
1
Last Page
27
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
One potential explanation for difficulty in treating trichotillomania despite increased research on evidence-based treatments, is the heterogeneity in symptom presentation. An individualized treatment approach may help to increase treatment response and recovery. Additionally, understanding which processes help to improve treatment outcomes in psychosocial interventions may be particularly important. This study examined how changes in trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility related to week-to-week levels of hair pulling severity and distress. We also explored a potential bidirectional relationship between hair pulling severity and trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility. Results indicated that although trichotillomania symptom severity predicted trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility and vice versa suggesting a bidirectional relationship. Additionally, trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility may play a more central role in trichotillomania symptom changes. Additionally, distress was strongly predicted by current trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility. Trichotillomania-specific psychological inflexibility appears to be a process of change in treatment for trichotillomania. Clinical implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Capel, Leila K., et al. "Psychological inflexibility as a session-to-session process of change in A-EBT for adults with trichotillomania." Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, vol. 39, no. 4, 2025, pp. 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1891/JCP-2025-0021