Preparing for Eating Disorders Treatment Through Compassionate Letter-Writing

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Self-compassionate letter-writing intervention: Participants in this condition will be asked to engage in an online self-compassionate letter-writing task once per day (10-20 minutes each) for 2 weeks.

Study summary

Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) seeks to lower shame and help people develop compassion for personal distress and shortcomings. There is increasing evidence to support the benefits of incorporating CFT-based interventions into the treatment of eating disorders (EDs). Building on the investigators' prior research, this study will examine the effects of a two-week CFT-based self-compassion letter-writing intervention on patients with eating disorders. Participants will be recruited from the wait-list of patients scheduled to begin treatment at the outpatient St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton Eating Disorders Program, and will be randomly assigned to the two-week letter-writing intervention or to a control group. Results will inform the integration of new empirically-derived interventions into ED treatments to improve the currently dismal rates of ED recovery.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Weight- and Body-Related Shame and Guilt Scale (WEB-SG) — Change from baseline to post-2 weeks of intervention/control condition
  Self-report questionnaire with 12 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (scored 0-4). Total scores range from 0-48, with higher decrease in score indicative of a better outcome (i.e. higher decrease in levels of shame and guilt).
• Self-compassion Scale (short form; SCS-SF) — Change from baseline to post-2 weeks of intervention/control condition
  Self-report questionnaire with 12 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (scored 1-5). Total scores range from 12-60, with higher increase in score indicative of a better outcome (i.e. higher increase in levels of self-compassion).
• Readiness to Change Eating Behaviours — Change from baseline to post-2 weeks of intervention/control condition
  Self-report questionnaire with 3 questions on a 10-point Likert scale (scored 1-10). Total scores range from 3-30, with higher increase in score indicative of a better outcome (i.e. higher increase in readiness to change disordered eating behaviours).

Trial sites (1)

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