The Synergistic effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation with cognitive behavior therapy on appearance schemas and weight self-efficacy lifestyle in obese people

Background & Aim: Obesity is a chronic and progressive disease that is associated with decreased quality of life and long-term concerns about physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation with cognitive behavior therapy on appearance schemas and weight self-efficacy lifestyle in obese people. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design was performed on obese people referring to psychological counseling centers and Arian Pouya Obesity Research Clinic in Mashhad in 2020. A total number of 40 subjects were selected by purposive sampling and randomly divided into two experimental (n = 20) and control groups (n = 20). The experimental group received transcranial direct current stimulation and cognitive behavior therapy, and the control group received only fictitious stimulation with cognitive behavior therapy. Data were collected using a weight efficiency lifestyle questionnaire and an appearance schema questionnaire. Results: The results showed that there was significant difference between the mean scores of appearance schemas in the two experimental and control groups (p <0.05). Furthermore, a significant difference was found between two groups in terms of the mean scores of lifestyle and weight efficiency (p <0.05). Conclusion: The transcranial direct current stimulation with cognitive behavior therapy can be used to treat the clinical signs and symptoms in obese people.