Group schema therapy for eating disorders: study protocol

Abstract

BackgroundThe treatment of eating disorders is a difficult endeavor, with only a relatively small proportion of clients responding to and completing standard cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Given the prevalence of co-morbidity and complex personality traits in this population, Schema Therapy has been identified as a potentially viable treatment option. A case series of Group Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders (ST-E-g) yielded positive findings and the study protocol outlined in this article aims to extend upon these preliminary findings to evaluate group Schema Therapy for eating disorders in a larger sample (n = 40).Methods/designParticipants undergo a two-hour assessment where they complete a number of standard questionnaires and their diagnostic status is ascertained using the Eating Disorder Examination. Participants then commence treatment, which consists of 25 weekly group sessions lasting for 1.5 h and four individual sessions. Each group consists of five to eight participants and is facilitated by two therapists, at least one of who is a registered psychologist trained on schema therapy. The primary outcome in this study is eating disorder symptom severity. Secondary outcomes include: cognitive schemas, self-objectification, general quality of life, self-compassion, schema mode presentations, and Personality Disorder features. Participants complete psychological measures and questionnaires at pre, post, six-month and 1-year follow-up.DiscussionThis study will expand upon preliminary research into the efficacy of group Schema Therapy for individuals with eating disorders. If group Schema Therapy is shown to reduce eating disorder symptoms, it will hold considerable promise as an intervention option for a group of disorders that is typically difficult to treat.Trial registrationACTRN12615001323516. Registered: 2/12/2015 (retrospectively registered, still recruiting).

Psychological Risk Factors for the Development of Restrictive and Bulimic Eating Behaviors: A Polish and Vietnamese Comparison

“…Due to the objectives of the study, the relationship between BMI and the intensities of restrictive, compulsive, and bulimic behaviors were not analyzed. On the other hand, Saleh et al [ 76 ], conducting a study using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT 26) on a population of 2001 students at the An-Najah National University in Palestine, indicated a significant positive relationship between BMI and restrictive and bulimic behaviors. The surveyed female students obtained better results than female students of science and medicine.…”

“…The surveyed female students obtained better results than female students of science and medicine. Saleh et al [ 76 ] did not compare Palestinian women with women of other nationalities, and age was significantly and negatively correlated with the results of the EAT-26 test in terms of describing restrictive and bulimic eating behaviors. As indicated by Izydorczyk et al [ 32 ], in studies conducted on Polish and Japanese women, the latter (similarly to the Vietnamese women in the research by Izydorczyk and the team presented in this article) showed a higher level of compulsive and bulimic behaviors than Polish women.…”

Attentional Bias to High-Calorie Food in Binge Eaters With High Shape/Weight Concern

“…SWC functions as a driving force of engaging in binging when encountering high-calorie food, specifically working as a moderator of craving ( 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 ). People with SWC who have high concern on eating high-calorie food are continually driven to binge due to prepossession with palatable foods ( 16 , 17 ).…”

Eating disorders, bipolar disorders and other mood disorders: complex and under-researched relationships

“…In this search no treatments targeting eating disorders specifically were found to exist [14], despite the movement of this area into the spotlight over 10 years ago [15]. Most treatments of people with a high BMI in bipolar disorder neglect psychological factors with the exception of [16], and people with bipolar disorder are often though not always; see [17] excluded from eating disorder treatment trials e.g. [18, 19].…”