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PerfectionismNCT02756871

Overcoming Perfectionism: A Randomised Controlled Trial of an Online CBT Based Guided Self-help Intervention

A study testing online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism in people with Perfectionism, run by Institute of Child Health at 1 site in United Kingdom.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of CBT based online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism at reducing symptoms of perfectionism and Axis I disorders post-treatment and at six-month follow-up. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Perfectionism
What is being tested?
online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
120 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Jul 2015to Feb 2017
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Be 18 or over, with no upper age limit.
  • Score one standard deviation above published norms on the 'Concern over mistakes' subscale of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost, Marten, Lahart, \& Rosenblate, 1990), i.e. a score of ≥ 29 (Flett, Sawatzky, \& Hewitt, 1995).
  • Be fluent in English.

Who cannot join

  • They report suicidal thoughts or intent prior to commencement of the intervention.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United Kingdom1 site

  • UCL Institute of Child Health

    London, WC1N 1EH

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of CBT based online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism at reducing symptoms of perfectionism and Axis I disorders post-treatment and at six-month follow-up.

Read the detailed description

Perfectionism is elevated across, and increases risk for a range of Axis I disorders, as well as having a direct negative effect on day to day function. A growing body of evidence shows that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) reduces perfectionism and Axis I disorders, with medium to large effect sizes. Given the increased desire for online interventions to facilitate access to evidence-based therapy, web-based CBT self-help interventions for perfectionism have been designed. Existing interventions have not included personalised guidance which has been shown to improve outcome rates.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of CBT based online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism at reducing symptoms of perfectionism and Axis I disorders post-treatment and at six-month follow-up.

A randomised controlled trial method is employed, comparing the treatment arm (online guided self-help) with a waiting list control group. Outcomes are examined at three time points, T1 (baseline), T2 (post-intervention at 12 weeks), T3 (follow-up at 24 weeks). Participants will be recruited through universities, online platforms, and social media, and if eligible will be randomised using an online automatic randomiser.

Conditions
Perfectionism
Being tested
online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • online guided self-help intervention for perfectionismOther

    Also called Overcoming Perfectionism

    CBT based online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism based on CBT manual for treatment of perfectionism, "Cognitive Behavioural Treatment of Perfectionism" by Sarah Egan, Tracy Wade, Roz Shafran and Martin Antony

Study groups in NCT02756871
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Online guided self-help interventionExperimentalCBT based online guided self-help intervention. Intervention can be found at www.overcomingperfectionism.co.uk
Receives: Other: online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism
ControlNo interventionNo intervention.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost et al., 1990)

    This self-report measure consists of 36 items grouped into six subscales. Participants respond on a five point scale ranging from 1 = "strongly disagree" to 5 = "strongly agree". The measure has been found to be both reliable and valid for use with non-clinical and clinical populations (Frost et al., 1990; Hewitt \& Flett, 1991; Hewitt, Flett, Turnbull-Donovan, \& Mikail, 1991). Participants will be considered eligible for inclusion in the study if they score one standard deviation above published norms on the Concern over Mistakes subscale, i.e. a score of ≥ 29. This measure has been amended to reflect participants experience over the past month allowing us to measure change.

    Measured: 6 months

Secondary outcomes (5)

  1. Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory - Revised (OCI-R) (Foa et al., 2002)

    The OCI-R, a shortened version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, assesses symptoms of OCD. The measure consists of 18 items (e.g. "I frequently have get nasty thoughts and have difficulty in getting rid of them"). On a five point scale, respondents rate how distressed or bothered they have been in the past month by the symptom described, with responses ranging from "Not at all" to "Extremely." It has been found to have good validity and reliability in both clinical and non-clinical samples (Abramowitz \& Deacon, 2006; Foa et al., 2002; Hajcak, Huppert, Simons, \& Foa, 2004; Huppert et al., 2007).

    Measured: 6 months

  2. Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) (C. G. Fairburn, 1994)

    The EDE-Q assesses for symptoms of the eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and sub-threshold variants. The measure consists of 28 items rated on a seven point scale appropriate to the item: number of days a symptom has been experienced over the past month, ranging from no days to every day; and for remaining questions (e.g. "How dissatisfied have you been with your weight?") responses ranging from "Not at all" to "Markedly." It has been found to have good reliability, and has been validated for use among clinical and community samples (Aardoom, Dingemans, Op't Landt, \& Van Furth, 2012; Carter, Stewart, \& Fairburn, 2001; J. M. Mond, Hay, Rodgers, Owen, \& Beumont, 2004; Jonathan M Mond et al., 2008; Reas, Grilo, \& Masheb, 2006).

    Measured: 6 months

  3. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1996)

    The DASS is a 42 item self-report measure of depression, anxiety and stress (e.g. "I found myself getting upset by quite trivial things"), rated on a four point scale ranging from "Did not apply to me at all" to "Applied to me very much or most of the time." It has been shown to be reliable and has been validated for use among clinical and community samples (Brown, Chorpita, Korotitsch, \& Barlow, 1997; Crawford \& Henry, 2003; Page, Hooke, \& Morrison, 2007).

    Measured: 6 months

  4. Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory - Mental Contamination Scale (VOCI-MC) (Radomsky, Rachman, Shafran, Coughtrey, & Barber, 2014)

    The VOCI-MC is a self-report measure that assesses symptoms of mental contamination. The measure consists of 20 items (e.g. "Often I look clean but feel dirty), rated on a five point scale ranging from "Not at all" to "Very much." It has been shown to be reliable and valid for use among clinical and community samples (Coughtrey, Shafran, Knibbs, \& Rachman, 2012; Coughtrey, Shafran, \& Rachman, 2013; Radomsky et al., 2014).

    Measured: 6 months

  5. Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire (CPQ; C. Fairburn et al., 2003a)

    This self-report measure consists of 12 items (e.g. "Have you pushed yourself really hard to meet your goals?" and "Have you raised your standards because you thought they were too easy?"). Participants respond on a four point scale ranging from 1 = "not at all" to 4 = "all the time". This measure of clinical perfectionism was created by Fairburn, Cooper and Shafran at the University of Oxford, and has been found to have good reliability and validity in two community samples and an ED sample; participants will be considered eligible for inclusion if they score similarly to this psychiatric population (i.e. a score of ≥ 29) (Egan, Shafran, et al., 2014). This measure has been amended to reflect participants experience over the past week, allowing us to monitor change on a weekly basis.

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Apr 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2015
  3. Primary completionFeb 2017
  4. Study completionFeb 2017

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
120 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02756871
Sponsor's protocol ID
14PP31
Status last verified
Apr 2016
First submitted
27 Apr 2016
Last updated
13 Nov 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Egan SJ, van Noort E, Chee A, Kane RT, Hoiles KJ, Shafran R, Wade TD. A randomised controlled trial of face to face versus pure online self-help cognitive behavioural treatment for perfectionism. Behav Res Ther. 2014 Dec;63:107-13. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2014.09.009. Epub 2014 Sep 30.

    PubMed 25461785

  • Aardoom JJ, Dingemans AE, Slof Op't Landt MC, Van Furth EF. Norms and discriminative validity of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Eat Behav. 2012 Dec;13(4):305-9. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.09.002. Epub 2012 Sep 19.

    PubMed 23121779

  • Abramowitz JS, Deacon BJ. Psychometric properties and construct validity of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory--Revised: Replication and extension with a clinical sample. J Anxiety Disord. 2006;20(8):1016-35. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.03.001. Epub 2006 Apr 18.

    PubMed 16621437

  • Bagley, C., & Mallick, K. (2001). Normative data and mental health construct validity for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in British Adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 9(2-3), 117-126.

  • Bizeul C, Sadowsky N, Rigaud D. The prognostic value of initial EDI scores in anorexia nervosa patients: a prospective follow-up study of 5--10 years. Eating Disorder Inventory. Eur Psychiatry. 2001 Jun;16(4):232-8. doi: 10.1016/s0924-9338(01)00570-3.

    PubMed 11418274

  • Brown TA, Chorpita BF, Korotitsch W, Barlow DH. Psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in clinical samples. Behav Res Ther. 1997 Jan;35(1):79-89. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(96)00068-x.

    PubMed 9009048

  • Buhr K, Dugas MJ. The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale: psychometric properties of the English version. Behav Res Ther. 2002 Aug;40(8):931-45. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(01)00092-4.

    PubMed 12186356

  • Buhr K, Dugas MJ. Investigating the construct validity of intolerance of uncertainty and its unique relationship with worry. J Anxiety Disord. 2006;20(2):222-36. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2004.12.004.

    PubMed 16464706

  • Carter JC, Stewart DA, Fairburn CG. Eating disorder examination questionnaire: norms for young adolescent girls. Behav Res Ther. 2001 May;39(5):625-32. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(00)00033-4.

    PubMed 11341255

  • Clarke A, Friede T, Putz R, Ashdown J, Martin S, Blake A, Adi Y, Parkinson J, Flynn P, Platt S, Stewart-Brown S. Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): validated for teenage school students in England and Scotland. A mixed methods assessment. BMC Public Health. 2011 Jun 21;11:487. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-487.

    PubMed 21693055

  • Coughtrey AE, Shafran R, Lee M, Rachman SJ. It's the feeling inside my head: a qualitative analysis of mental contamination in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2012 Mar;40(2):163-73. doi: 10.1017/S1352465811000658. Epub 2011 Dec 21.

    PubMed 22189473

  • Coughtrey, A. E., Shafran, R., & Rachman, S. (2013). Imagery in mental contamination: A questionnaire study. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2(4), 385-390.

  • Crawford JR, Henry JD. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): normative data and latent structure in a large non-clinical sample. Br J Clin Psychol. 2003 Jun;42(Pt 2):111-31. doi: 10.1348/014466503321903544.

    PubMed 12828802

  • Egan SJ, Shafran R, Lee M, Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Doll HA, Palmer RL, Watson HJ. The Reliability and Validity of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire in Eating Disorder and Community Samples. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2016 Jan;44(1):79-91. doi: 10.1017/S1352465814000629. Epub 2015 Mar 3.

    PubMed 25731214

  • Fairburn, C., Cooper, C., & Shafran, R. (2003a). Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire. Department of Psychiatry. University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing online guided self-help intervention for perfectionism in people with Perfectionism, run by Institute of Child Health at 1 site in United Kingdom.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Nov 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost et al., 1990) (time frame: 6 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02756871, which also lists 35 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Nov 2017.

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