Group Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT-E) for Eating Disorders

Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E) is a psychological treatment that is suitable for use with all forms of eating disorders. The treatment focuses on addressing the behaviours, emotions, thoughts and beliefs associated with eating disorders. The treatment also addresses additional mechanisms that, for some, act as a barrier for change and maintain eating disorder symptoms. In this trial, the intervention will consist of group CBT-E delivered on an outpatient basis. Groups will run once per week for 2 hours, over a 20 week period. Approximately 10 adult women will take part in each group, and groups will be led by 2 facilitators. Individual research assessments will be scheduled pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment and at 3-months post-treatment follow-up. The research assessments will involve completing a series of self-report questionnaires regarding depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms (the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale); perfectionism (the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire); self-esteem (the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale); self-efficacy (General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale); relationship difficulties (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems); problems with tolerating emotions (Distress Tolerance Scale and Tolerance of Mood States Scale); problems with tolerating uncertainty (Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale); repetitive thinking (Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire); quality of life (Quality of Life and Satisfaction Questionnaire); the tendency to think in 'all of nothing' terms (Dichotomous Thinking Scale); goal setting (Conditional Goal Setting); personality traits (Screening Test for Comorbid Personality Disorders); body image (Body Image Concern Inventory); and eating disorder symptoms (Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire). These self-report questionnaires may be completed in participant's own time if preferred, and should take approximately 30 minutes at each assessment point. At pre-treatment only, the research assessment will also include an individual clinical interview with a psychologist. This interview will cover general background information, current eating disorder symptoms (assessed using the Eating Disorder Examination, a semi-structured interview), and other psychological difficulties (assessed using the MINI Neuropsychiatric Interview, a semi-structured interview). Height and weight will be measured. This assessment will last approximately 90 minutes.