Efficacy of a Positive Psychological Intervention in Patients With Eating Disorders: a Randomized Control Trial
Efficacy of a Positive Psychological Intervention in Patients With Eating Disorders: a Randomized Control Trial
This study is aimed to test the efficacy of a positive psychological intervention for promoting positive emotions and optimistic thinking in eating disordered patients. Participants are randomly assigned to receive the positive intervention or the control condition, which consists on thinking about daily activities.
Eating disorders (ED) are very difficult conditions to treat. Therefore, interventions in this field are shifting their main target towards the disorder's impact in quality of life, rather than ED symptomatology in itself. In this sense, a focus in the promotion of positive emotions and well-being is emerging in order to buffer from the harmful effects caused by ED.
Positive psychological interventions have shown efficacy in the promotion of positive emotions and well-being. In this sense, one of these interventions is called Best Possible Self (BPS), since is aimed to enhance positive emotions and well-being. Specifically, BPS is a positive future thinking technique, which requires people to envision themselves in the future, after everything has gone as good as it possibly could. This exercise has shown efficacy improving optimism, future expectancies and positive affect compared to a control condition, in general population and depressive patients.
Furthermore, the progress of Information and Communication Technologies, has allowed the development of technology applications and devices that could enhance the quality of experience and the well-being levels. This approach is called Positive Technology and it can be used as a complement to positive psychological interventions. Positive Technology can be defined as the scientific and applied approach to improve the quality of our personal experience trying to increase wellness and generate strengths.
Taking into account the prior literature, the aim of the present study is to carry out a randomized controlled study with ED patients in order to explore if BPS is able to produce improvements in different well-being and clinical measures. The exercise will be applied through a Positive Technology system. The design employed in this study is similar to the used in other studies.
Five assessment moments were used: Before the exercise (baseline), after the first session (day 1) and post-training (1 month). Moreover, two follow-ups were included: one month after finishing the training period (1st follow-up) and three months after finishing the training (2nd follow-up)
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