Innovative interventions for disordered eating: evaluating dissonance-based and yoga interventions.
OBJECTIVE
Eating-disordered behavior is prevalent among college women. Few interventions have successfully reduced risk factors for these behaviors, however. The most promising interventions are both selective and interactive. This study compared two newer types of interventions that meet these criteria: cognitive dissonance and yoga programs.


METHODS
This study advertised programs for women who were dissatisfied with their bodies. Participants (N = 93) were randomly assigned to dissonance, yoga, or control groups.


RESULTS
Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that there were no significant post-intervention differences between the yoga and control groups. Dissonance group participants had significantly lower scores than the scores of both other groups on measures of disordered eating, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, alexithymia, and anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have important implications for interventions on college campuses. In particular, dissonance interventions appear to be an efficient and inexpensive approach to reducing eating disorder risk factors. Additional research regarding the value of yoga interventions is needed.
Mitchell
Karen S
KS
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2018, USA. s2ksmitc@vcu.edu
Mazzeo
Suzanne E
SE
Rausch
Sarah M
SM
Cooke
Kathryn L
KL
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001828:Body Image; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology; D015013:Yoga