Online Compassion Focused Therapy for overeating: Feasibility and acceptability pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorders
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Overeating is a significant concern for many women, often linked to psychological factors like shame and self-criticism.
• Traditional therapies may have accessibility limitations, highlighting the need for alternative treatment modalities.
• Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) has shown promise in addressing psychological distress, but its application to overeating via online platforms is less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an online Compassion Focused Therapy for overeating (CFT-OE) program.
• To explore the potential effectiveness of CFT-OE in improving psychological well-being and reducing overeating symptoms.
• To gather preliminary data for a future randomized controlled trial.

Main Methods:

• A pilot, single-arm study involving 18 Portuguese women with overeating difficulties.
• Participants completed an online CFT-OE program, with assessments at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.
• Measures included binge eating, eating psychopathology, shame, self-criticism, and self-compassion.

Main Results:

• A low attrition rate of 16.7% suggests good feasibility for the online intervention.
• Participants reported positive feedback and willingness to recommend the program.
• Significant improvements were observed in self-compassion, alongside reductions in eating psychopathology, shame, self-criticism, and fears of self-compassion.

Conclusions:

• Online CFT-OE is a feasible and acceptable intervention for women experiencing overeating difficulties.
• Preliminary findings suggest CFT-OE is beneficial, demonstrating improvements in key psychological and eating-related outcomes.
• Further investigation through a randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm the effectiveness of online CFT-OE.