Examining the Impact of CBT on Irrational Beliefs About Clothing Preferences and Self-expression Among Adolescents

Adolescents often form harmful irrational beliefs about their clothing preferences. These beliefs can hinder their self-expression and emotional adjustment. They usually reflect distorted views on appearance, identity, and social acceptance. While Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is known for addressing these cognitive distortions, its effect on irrational clothing beliefs and self-expression is not well studied. This research used a pretest-posttest control group design with 80 adolescents. These participants were randomly divided into either a CBT intervention group or a no-treatment control group. They completed assessments before and after the intervention using the Irrational Clothing Beliefs Scale (ICBS) and the Clothing Self-Expression Questionnaire (CSQ). Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to assess the therapy’s effects while controlling for pretest scores. The results showed a significant main effect of CBT on self-expression through clothing, F(1, 77) = 127.70, p <.001, partial η² = 0.624, which explained 62.4% of the variance in CSQ posttest scores. CBT also significantly decreased irrational clothing beliefs, F(1, 77) = 98.96, p <.001, partial η² = 0.562, accounting for 56.2% of the variance in ICBS posttest scores. Pretest scores on both measures did not significantly predict the posttest results. These findings indicate that CBT is an effective way to reduce irrational beliefs about clothing and improve adolescents’ self-expression through their clothing choices. This research supports the use of CBT-based strategies in mental health and fashion psychology programmemes aimed at promoting identity development and well-being.