School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
InsideOut Institute, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Int J Eat Disord. 2022 Nov;55(11):1614-1620. doi: 10.1002/eat.23803. Epub 2022 Aug 20.
For those with binge-eating disorder (BED), access to evidence-based, face-to-face treatment is often constrained by clinician availability and high treatment costs. Emerging evidence suggests online therapy (eTherapy) may navigate these barriers and reduce binge-eating symptomatology; however, less evaluation has been done in those with BED, particularly with briefer programs targeting early change. This study investigated the feasibility and potential efficacy of a brief, supported eTherapy in those with BED or subthreshold BED.
Participants were 19 women with BED who completed a four-session eTherapy. This was a single-arm, pre-post intervention study, with participants completing weekly content and attending telehealth sessions. Key outcomes were assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire-Short (EDE-QS): objective binge episode days, loss of control over eating days, and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology via a total EDE-QS score.
Generalized and linear mixed models showed significantly reduced loss of control over eating days and ED psychopathology. Program feasibility was high, with strong program adherence and a below average attrition rate.
Pilot results support the feasibility and potential efficacy of a brief, behavioral-focused eTherapy program in reducing ED pathology in those with BED. Future research should further investigate findings in an adequately powered randomized controlled trial.
This study suggests that a brief, behavioral-focused online therapy, guided by non-expert clinicians, can be successfully administered to those with binge-eating disorder (BED) and may be efficacious at reducing eating disorder and other related symptomatology. Brief eTherapies that are effective, accessible, and rapidly available may facilitate earlier intervention in illness and improve treatment outcomes for individuals who experience this common and distressing disorder.
对于患有暴食症（BED）的患者来说，获得基于证据的面对面治疗往往受到临床医生可用性和高治疗费用的限制。新出现的证据表明，在线治疗（eTherapy）可能会克服这些障碍并减轻暴食症状；然而，在 BED 患者中，特别是在针对早期变化的更简短的方案中，评估较少。本研究调查了简短的、支持性的 eTherapy 在 BED 或阈下 BED 患者中的可行性和潜在疗效。
参与者是 19 名患有 BED 的女性，她们完成了四节 eTherapy。这是一项单臂、干预前后研究，参与者每周完成内容并参加远程医疗会议。通过饮食失调检查问卷-短表（EDE-QS）评估关键结果：客观暴食发作天数、失控进食天数和饮食障碍（ED）心理病理学通过总 EDE-QS 评分。
广义和线性混合模型显示，失控进食天数和 ED 心理病理学显著减少。该计划的可行性很高，具有很强的计划依从性和低于平均水平的辍学率。
初步结果支持简短的、以行为为重点的 eTherapy 方案在减少 BED 患者的 ED 病理方面的可行性和潜在疗效。未来的研究应在充分的随机对照试验中进一步探讨研究结果。
这项研究表明，一种简短的、以行为为重点的在线治疗方法，由非专业临床医生指导，可以成功地用于治疗暴食症患者，并且可能在减轻饮食障碍和其他相关症状方面有效。有效的、可及的、快速可用的简短 eTherapies 可能会促进早期干预疾病，并改善患有这种常见且令人痛苦的疾病的个体的治疗结果。
