Evaluation of the Communities of Healing Mentorship/Support Group Program: Assessment of Preliminary Efficacy

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Eating Disorder
Binge-Eating Disorder
Bulimia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa

Interventions: Behavioral: Peer mentorship
Behavioral: Social support mentorship
Behavioral: Recovery Record use with mentor

Registration Number: NCT03317379

Lead Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute

Brief Summary: The goal of the study is to evaluate two 6-month adjunct interventions (peer mentorship and social support mentorship) for individuals with eating disorders. Individuals will be randomized to peer-mentorship, social support mentorship, or a wait-list and eating disorder symptoms will be evaluated at baseline and post-treatment.

Detailed Description: Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses associated with significant morbidity and high relapse rates. Patients are at especially high risk of relapse after leaving structured treatment (e.g., hospitalization). Adjunct interventions targeting patients' motivation and participation in treatment at these times may help patients recover from eating disorders. Project HEAL is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce suffering caused by eating disorders, and they have recently developed two adjunct, mentorship-based interventions for patients in recovery. In the peer mentorship condition, individuals meet weekly with a peer mentor who has previously recovered from an eating disorder in order to discuss symptoms and coping strategies. In the social support mentorship condition, individuals meet weekly with a social support mentor who has not personally struggled with an eating disorder in order to engage in activities unrelated to the eating disorder. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of this intervention. The design of the study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial comparing peer mentorship, social-support mentorship, and wait-list control conditions. Participants in the study will be randomized to one of the three conditions for six months. Wait-list participants will subsequently receive either type of mentorship. Participants will complete assessments of their eating disorder symptoms at baseline, monthly throughout the course of the study, and one year after beginning the study. Outcomes will be compared between groups.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

Current or past 6 months AN, BN, or BED
Recent (within 6 months) discharge from structured treatment
Involved in outpatient treatment at an appropriate level of care
Medical stability
Access to smart phone or computer to complete study assessments

Exclusion Criteria

Evidence of needing specialized treatment for another medical or mental health condition

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Peer mentorship	Recovery Record use with mentor	Participants meet weekly with an adult peer mentor who has recovered from an eating disorder. The focus of meetings is on eating disorder symptoms and how to overcome them. The goal of this program is to reduce eating disorder symptoms directly by receiving support and guidance from someone who has been through it.
Peer mentorship	Peer mentorship	Participants meet weekly with an adult peer mentor who has recovered from an eating disorder. The focus of meetings is on eating disorder symptoms and how to overcome them. The goal of this program is to reduce eating disorder symptoms directly by receiving support and guidance from someone who has been through it.
Social support mentorship	Social support mentorship	Participants meet weekly with an adult mentor who has not personally struggled with an eating disorder but who is dedicated to offering support. During weekly meetings, participants and mentors (and possibly 1-2 other mentees) engage in activities unrelated to the eating disorder. The goal of this program is to reduce eating disorder symptoms indirectly by exploring aspects of self outside the eating disorder.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cognitive Restraint Subscale of the Eating Disorder Symptom Inventory (EPSI)	Baseline, Month 3, Month 6	The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) is a self-report questionnaire that includes 8 subscales and we used the Cognitive Restraint subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert-style scale (0 = Never; 4= Often) to describe how well each item describes the participant's experiences. Scores are derived by summing responses across the questions included in each subscale. The range for Cognitive Restraint is 0 - 12. Higher scores are reflective of greater eating pathology.
Body Mass Index	Baseline (month 0, Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6	kg/m2
Body Dissatisfaction Subscale of the Eating Disorder Symptom Inventory (EPSI)	Baseline, Month 3, Month 6	The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) is a self-report questionnaire that includes 8 subscales and we used the Body Dissatisfaction subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert-style scale (0 = Never; 4= Often) to describe how well each item describes the participant's experiences. Scores are derived by summing responses across the questions included in each subscale. The range for Body dissatisfaction is 0 - 28. Higher scores are reflective of greater eating pathology.
Binge Days	Baseline through Week 28	Units on a scale from 0 - 4 ( 0 = 0 days; 1 = A few (1-2) days; 2 = About half (3-4) days; 4 = Most (5-6) days; 4 = All (7) days Range was 0 - 4
Restricting Subscale of the Eating Disorder Symptom Inventory (EPSI)	Baseline, Month 3, Month 6	The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) is a self-report questionnaire that includes 8 subscales and we used the Restricting subscale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert-style scale (0 = Never; 4= Often) to describe how well each item describes the participant's experiences. Scores are derived by summing responses across the questions included in each subscale. The range for Restricting is 0 - 24. Higher scores are reflective of greater eating pathology.