High- and low-level dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs with young women with body image concerns: an experimental trial.
OBJECTIVE
As cognitive dissonance is theorized to contribute to the effects of dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs, we evaluated a high-dissonance version of this program against a low-dissonance version and a wait-list control condition to provide an experimental test of the mechanism of intervention effects.


METHODS
Female college students (N = 124, mean age = 20.9 years, SD = 3.9) with body image concerns were randomized to the 3 conditions. The high-dissonance program was designed to maximize dissonance induction, and the low-dissonance program was designed to minimize it; the substantive content of the 2 programs was matched.


RESULTS
Relative to controls, those in the high-dissonance condition showed significantly greater reductions in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms by posttest, and those in the low-dissonance condition showed significantly greater reductions in the first 3 outcomes by posttest, with most of these effects persisting to 3-month follow-up. High-dissonance participants showed significantly greater reductions in eating disorder symptoms than low-dissonance participants did by posttest, but this effect was nonsignificant by 3-month follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that dissonance induction contributes to intervention effects but imply that the intervention content, nonspecific factors, and demand characteristics play a much more potent role in producing effects.
Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, USA.
Whitney
W
McMillan
Eric
E
Stice
Paul
P
Rohde
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome