Radunz Marcela, Ali Kathina, Wade Tracey D
Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Blackbird Initiative, Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Feb;56(2):314-330. doi: 10.1002/eat.23845. Epub 2022 Nov 8.
Treatment-seeking rates among eating disorder (ED) populations are relatively low, with only one in four individuals seeking help. Previous research has identified many factors that might be associated with help-seeking in EDs, but to date no review has investigated the quantitative association between these factors and actual help-seeking behavior. The aim of the current review was to synthesize the relevant quantitative literature on factors (i.e., perceived barriers, characteristics associated with treatment seeking, demographic variables) associated with help-seeking using meta-analytic strategies, as well as provide recommendations on future early intervention research strategies to promote early help-seeking.
Overall, 19 studies were included, identifying 141 perceived barriers (e.g., stigma) or individual characteristics (e.g., BMI, duration of illness) and 56 demographic variables (e.g., ethnicity), which were synthesized into 24 unique variables.
Less help-seeking was predicted by higher levels of denial and less perceived ability of others to provide help.
Given the small number of studies these results should be considered preliminary. Future studies should consider barriers to help-seeking when creating early intervention approaches. To improve help-seeking rates we suggest the use of targeted psychoeducational materials and co-design with people with lived experience when developing new strategies.
The present study addresses a significant gap in the literature by synthesizing factors associated with help-seeking, with the aim of informing early intervention strategies to promote early help-seeking in eating disorder populations. Denial of illness and perceived inability of others to provide help were associated with lower help-seeking. Future studies should consider barriers to help-seeking and co-design with people with lived experience when creating new early intervention strategies.
饮食失调（ED）人群的治疗寻求率相对较低，只有四分之一的人寻求帮助。先前的研究已经确定了许多可能与饮食失调患者寻求帮助相关的因素，但迄今为止，尚无综述研究这些因素与实际寻求帮助行为之间的定量关联。本综述的目的是使用荟萃分析策略综合有关与寻求帮助相关的因素（即感知到的障碍、与寻求治疗相关的特征、人口统计学变量）的相关定量文献，并就未来促进早期寻求帮助的早期干预研究策略提供建议。
总共纳入了19项研究，确定了141个感知到的障碍（如耻辱感）或个体特征（如体重指数、病程）以及56个人口统计学变量（如种族），这些被综合为24个独特变量。
较高水平的否认和较低的他人提供帮助的感知能力预示着寻求帮助的行为较少。
鉴于研究数量较少，这些结果应被视为初步结果。未来的研究在制定早期干预方法时应考虑寻求帮助的障碍。为了提高寻求帮助的比率，我们建议在制定新策略时使用有针对性的心理教育材料并与有实际经验的人共同设计。
本研究通过综合与寻求帮助相关的因素，填补了文献中的一个重大空白，旨在为促进饮食失调人群早期寻求帮助的早期干预策略提供信息。否认患病和认为他人无法提供帮助与较低的寻求帮助率相关。未来的研究在制定新的早期干预策略时应考虑寻求帮助的障碍，并与有实际经验的人共同设计。
