Longitudinal outcomes from a pilot randomized controlled trial of telehealth acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy for adolescents with trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a chronic and impairing disorder typically beginning in youth. There is growing research on the use of acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy (AEBT) for trichotillomania in youth. However, few studies explore long-term outcomes for youth who receive treatment for trichotillomania, particularly AEBT. The current study presents longitudinal data from a pilot randomized controlled trial utilizing AEBT for adolescents with trichotillomania. Twenty-eight adolescents and their caretakers completed measures at pre-treatment, post-treatment, three-, six-, and 12-month follow-up timepoints. Medium to large decreases were found over time for adolescent and parent-reported trichotillomania severity, trichotillomania-related distress, and mental health functioning. Results also indicated small and medium improvements in adolescent-reported trichotillomania-related psychological inflexibility. No significant effects were found for youth-reported general psychological inflexibility or parental psychological inflexibility. These results present preliminary and promising long-term outcomes following AEBT for trichotillomania in adolescents, adding to growing evidence that AEBT may be an appropriate treatment for youth with trichotillomania.