Abstract
Individuals develop coping skills in response to body image distress; however, the degree to which body image improvements are mediated by skill acquisition is unknown. The current study assessed skills-based mediators of CBT-BISC (
n
= 22) versus enhanced treatment-as-usual (
n
= 22) for sexual minority men with HIV and body image disturbance. Skills-based mediators included avoidance, appearance fixing, and acceptance and cognitive reappraisal. Results revealed that CBT-BISC significantly reduced body image disturbance and improved coping skills. Latent difference score mediation indicated that changes in acceptance and cognitive reappraisal significantly predicted body image disturbance changes (
b
= −.96,
p
= .001). These strategies may, therefore, have a unique role in reducing body image disturbance in sexual minority men with HIV. Clinicians may wish to prioritize these strategies in CBT-BISC. Future treatment research, with methodologically rigorous mediation designs, is needed to assess mechanisms of change and consequently improve efficacy.
