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Dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program: a preliminary dismantling investigation.
Megan Roehrig1, J Kevin Thompson, Michael Brannick
1Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620-8200, USA.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|October 29, 2005
Summary
A dissonance-based program effectively reduced bulimic symptoms and eating pathology risk factors in women. Both the full program and a dismantled version focusing on counterattitudinal advocacy showed similar positive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Eating Disorder Research
Background:
- Thin-ideal internalization is a risk factor for bulimic symptoms in young women.
- Dissonance-based interventions show promise in reducing these symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of symptom reduction in a dissonance-based program.
- To compare the efficacy of a full program versus a dismantled version focusing on counterattitudinal advocacy.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-eight women were randomly assigned to either the full dissonance-based program or a dismantled version (counterattitudinal advocacy only).
- Interventions targeted thin-ideal internalization and bulimic symptoms.
Main Results:
- Both the full program and the counterattitudinal advocacy intervention significantly reduced risk factors for eating pathology.
- Bulimic symptoms were significantly decreased in both groups at termination and at 1-month follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Both treatment approaches demonstrated equal effectiveness in reducing eating pathology among at-risk college women.
- The findings support the efficacy of dissonance-based interventions, particularly counterattitudinal advocacy, in managing eating pathology.