Emotion Regulation Group Skills Training for Eating Disorders

Emotion Regulation Group Skills Training: A Pilot Study of an add-on Treatment for Eating Disorders in a Clinical Setting

Emotion regulation difficulties appear to play a role in the development and maintenance of several eating disorders. This pilot study aims at examining whether a short add-on group skills training in emotion regulation for young adults with different eating disorders is feasible in a psychiatric clinical setting. We also investigate if the treatment increases knowledge of emotions, and decreases self-reported difficulties with emotion regulation, alexithymia, symptoms of eating disorder, anxiety and depression, as well as clinical impairment.

Six skills training groups were piloted with a total of 29 participants (M = 21.41 years, SD = 1.92). The treatment consists of five sessions dealing with psychoeducation about emotions and emotion regulation skills training. Paired samples t-test was used to compare differences between before-and-after measures.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being enrolled as a patient at the eating disorder unit at eh child- and adolescent psychiatric clinic in Linköping, Sweden
• Having an eating disorder diagnosis as primary diagnosis.
• Being between the ages of 18-25 years
• Having sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language

Exclusion Criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia
• Clinical diagnosis of psychosis
• Clinical diagnosis of severe autism spectrum disorder
• Having a cognitive disability
• Having ongoing drug or alcohol abuse
• Clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder
• Insufficient knowledge of the Swedish language