Perfectionism and Eating Disorders: An Online Treatment Program for Adolescent Females

Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Perfectionism (ICBT-P) is being compared to a waitlist control condition in an online, indicated prevention trial for adolescents displaying at-risk symptoms of eating disorders. Participants will be randomly allocated via computer generated groups to the intervention or waitlist control group. Those in the intervention group will be sent a link and password whereby they can access the ICBT-P modules. The ICBT-P program consists of eight online video/audio and text-based modules based on the Shafran, Egan, and Wade (2018) self-help book. Module 1 defines perfectionism and explores maintaining factors, Module 2 looks at individualised formulations of perfectionism, Module 3 looks at enhancing motivation to change, Module 4 provides psychoeducation, discusses self-monitoring, and survey construction and completion, Module 5 covers behavioural experiments and challenging dichotomous thinking, Module 6 explores unhelpful thinking styles, Module 6 discusses procrastination and time management, and Module 8 covers self-criticism and self-compassion, and relapse prevention. Participants will be encouraged to complete one module every week (approximately no more than 30 minutes), with generic reminder emails being sent to participants over the course of the eight-week program, one per week at the commencement of the week. Participants will also be asked to rate each week how much time they spent on each module, and how many of the activities they completed, to assess fidelity. This is an unguided program, with modules ‘unlocked’ to allow participants to move between them at will. Participants will be requested to complete post-intervention measures after they have completed the eight-week intervention. Links to the follow-up questionnaires will also be sent to them at three- and six-months post-intervention. Following completion of the study, those in the wait-list control group will have access to the treatment program, in line with the NHMRC chapter 3.1.5, which outlines control groups being ethical and appropriate where participants would otherwise have no recourse treatment that is known to be effective.