Attention Training and Its Effects on Body Image Disturbance

Body Dissatisfaction Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01110265
• Other study ID #: USydney11760
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: April 22, 2010
• Last updated: April 22, 2010
• Start date: June 2009
• Est. completion date: January 2010

Study information

• Verified date: April 2010
• Source: University of Sydney
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Australia: Human Research Ethics Committee
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Research has consistently found attentional biases towards negative weight-related stimuli in individuals with eating disorders. It has been suggested that these biases may act as a vulnerability factor for the development and maintenance of body dissatisfaction and may therefore be an important target for intervention. Previous studies have demonstrated the capacity to modify the patterns of attention allocation to threatening stimuli in a variety of anxiety disorders, with a subsequent and sustained reduction in anxiety symptoms. Thus, the present study aimed at testing the efficacy of attention training in reducing attentional biases and eating disorder symptoms in individuals with elevated levels of body image disturbance and eating disorder symptomatology of clinical severity. Thirty-two participants were randomly allocated to receive eight sessions of a 10-minute computer task aimed at training their attention away from weight-related stimuli or a control placebo training condition. Results showed that participants in the attention training group had a significantly greater reduction in their attentional bias and body dissatisfaction from pre- to post-training relative to the placebo condition. At follow-up, both groups showed a significant decrease in body dissatisfaction from their pre-training levels. The only significant difference between groups in eating disorder symptoms at follow-up was in terms of the attention training group experiencing a greater reduction in weight and shape concerns.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 32
• Est. completion date: January 2010
• Est. primary completion date: December 2009
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years to 37 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• If they have a score on the Body Shape Questionnaire of 113 or more AND a score in the EDE-Q of 4 or more in any subscale.

Exclusion Criteria:

• attention bias score of <-10

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Body Dissatisfaction
• Eating Disorder Symptoms
• Eating Disorders

Intervention

Behavioral:
• attention training

• placebo training

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Australia	The University of Sydney	Sydney	New South Wales

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Sydney

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Australia,