Investigating online psychological treatment for adolescents with a visible difference in the Dutch YP Face IT study: protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

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 questions or being teased. As a consequence, some of these adolescents experience adverse psychosocial outcomes and appearance-related distress. To address this appearance-related distress, an online psychotherapeutic intervention, YP Face IT, has been developed. YP Face IT uses social interaction skills training and cognitive-behavioural therapy. The Dutch YP Face IT Study tests whether this intervention is effective in reducing social anxiety and improving body esteem. Methods and analysis Participants are adolescents aged 12-18 with a visible difference and experiencing appearance-related distress. In this two-armed randomised controlled trial, 224 adol