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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2008 Apr;76(2):329-40.
doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.2.329.

Dissonance and healthy weight eating disorder prevention programs: long-term effects from a randomized efficacy trial

Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Dissonance and healthy weight eating disorder prevention programs: long-term effects from a randomized efficacy trial

Eric Stice et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

Adolescent girls with body dissatisfaction (N = 481, SD = 1.4) were randomized to a dissonance-based thin-ideal internalization reduction program, healthy weight control program, expressive writing control condition, or assessment-only control condition. Dissonance participants showed significantly greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment and lower risk for eating pathology onset through 2- to 3-year follow-up than did assessment-only controls. Dissonance participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and psychosocial impairment than did expressive writing controls. Healthy weight participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment; less increases in weight; and lower risk for eating pathology and obesity onset through 2- to 3-year follow-up than did assessment-only controls. Healthy weight participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization and weight than did expressive writing controls. Dissonance participants showed a 60% reduction in risk for eating pathology onset, and healthy weight participants showed a 61% reduction in risk for eating pathology onset and a 55% reduction in risk for obesity onset relative to assessment-only controls through 3-year follow-up, implying that the effects are clinically important and enduring.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow chart
Figure 2
Figure 2
Survival Function by condition for eating disorder onset (a) and obesity onset (b)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Survival Function by condition for eating disorder onset (a) and obesity onset (b)

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