A multimodal investigation of treatment enhancers for eating disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A multimodal investigation of treatment enhancers to improve eating behaviour in eating disorders
IRAS ID
157325
Contact name
Robert Turton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Recent theories regarding eating disorders suggest that difficulties in managing feelings, social problems, and certain maladaptive thinking styles are involved in keeping eating disorders going. Computerised training programmes focused on these difficulties have been found in emotional disorders to significantly improve these symptoms. The purpose of this research project is to experimentally examine the outcome of training programmes based on the approaches of: cognitive bias modification, evaluative conditioning and food go/no go training on core eating disorder symptoms such as low mood, stress levels, eating behaviours and body image. This will help to gain a greater understanding of the factors that may maintain eating disorders and how they may be treated.
The study will be undertaken as part of a PhD project and is funded by an Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience/ Medical Research Council studentship alongside a grant from the Psychiatry Research Trust. Participants will be recruited with an eating disorder and healthy participants who are fluent in English, have no visual/cognitive impairments and have no alcohol or drug abuse. The study will recruit participants from eating disorders inpatient and outpatient services across London. As part of the study, participants will be asked to take part in an experiment that involves completing a short computer based programme. Following this they will be asked to take part in a test meal and to complete questions which ask about different eating disorder symptoms and about how they found the computer programmes. Overall the experiments will take roughly one hour to complete. The results from the study will help to inform the development of future of interventions for eating disorders.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/2166
Date of REC Opinion
15 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion