An effectiveness trial of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program for high-risk adolescent girls.
Efficacy trials indicate that an eating disorder prevention program involving dissonance-inducing activities that decrease thin-ideal internalization reduces risk for current and future eating pathology, yet it is unclear whether this program produces effects under real-world conditions. The present effectiveness trial tested whether this program produced effects when school staff recruit participants and deliver the intervention. Adolescent girls with body image concerns (N = 306; M age = 15.7, SD = 1.1) randomized to the dissonance intervention showed significantly greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting attempts, and eating disorder symptoms from pretest to posttest than did those assigned to a psychoeducational brochure control condition, with the effects for body dissatisfaction, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms persisting through 1-year follow-up. Effects were slightly smaller than those observed in a prior efficacy trial, suggesting that this program is effective under real-world conditions, but that facilitator selection, training, and supervision could be improved.
Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA. estice@ori.org
Eric
E
Stice
Paul
P
Rohde
Jeff
J
Gau
Heather
H
Shaw
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome