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J Abnorm Child Psychol (2007) 35:379391 DOI 10.1007/s10802-006-9097-9
ORIGINAL PAPER
Internet-Delivered Targeted Group Intervention for Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Adolescent Girls: A randomized controlled trial
Brooke E. Heinicke Susan J. Paxton Sin A. McLean Eleanor H. Wertheim
Published online: 23 January 2007
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Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007
Abstract This study evaluated a targeted intervention designed to alleviate body image and eating problems in adolescent girls that was delivered over the internet so as to increase access to the program. The program consisted of six, 90-minute weekly small group, synchronous on-line sessions and was facilitated by a therapist and manual. Participants were 73 girls (mean age = 14.4 years, SD = 1.48) who self-identied as having body image or eating problems and were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 36) (assessed at baseline, post-intervention and at 2- and 6-months follow-up) or a delayed treatment control group (n = 37) (assessed at baseline and 67 weeks later). Clinically significant improvements in body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and depression were observed at post-intervention and maintained at follow-up. Internet delivery was enthusiastically endorsed. The program offers a promising approach to improve body image and eating problems that also addresses geographic access problems.
Keywords Internet . Targeted intervention . Body dissatisfaction . Disordered eating . Adolescent girls
The present research evaluated a targeted intervention for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls, conducted on-line using a synchronous delivery approach. Body dissatisfaction is frequently reported by adolescent girls (Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Hannan, Perry, & Irving, 2002; Ricciardelli & McCabe, 2001; Presnell, Bearman, & Stice, 2004; Stice & Whitenton, 2002; Wertheim, Paxton, & Blaney, in press) and is increasingly
B. E. Heinicke S. J. Paxton ([envelopeback]) S. A. McLean E. H. Wertheim School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne 3086, Australiae-mail: [email protected]
recognized as being associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. In adolescent girls, body dissatisfaction prospectively predicts depressive symptoms (Stice & Bearman, 2001; Paxton, Neumark-Sztainer, Hannan, & Eisenberg, 2006), low self-esteem (Paxton, Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2006), unhealthy weight loss behaviors (Neumark-Sztainer, Paxton, Hannan, Haines, & Story, 2006; Stice, 2002) and symptoms of clinical eating disorders (Killen et al., 1996; Stice, 2002). In addition, dieting and the use of extreme weight loss behaviors...