Experiencing eight psychotherapy approaches devoted to eating disorders in a single-day workshop increases insight and motivation to engage in care: a pilot study

Elisabetta Scanferla; Bernard Pachoud; Philip Gorwood; CMME Psychologists Group

doi:10.1007/s40519-022-01365-y

Experiencing eight psychotherapy approaches devoted to eating disorders in a single-day workshop increases insight and motivation to engage in care: a pilot study

Eat Weight Disord. 2022 Aug;27(6):2213-2222. doi: 10.1007/s40519-022-01365-y. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Authors

Elisabetta Scanferla^{1

2}, Bernard Pachoud³, Philip Gorwood^{4

5}; CMME Psychologists Group

Collaborators

CMME Psychologists Group:
E Bruel-Jungerman, A Docteur, C Drosdalski, E Gauthier, F Hollande, D Justo, A Laszcz, V Leclerc, Z Logak, I Pouydesseau, A Raust, L Romo, E Scanferl

Affiliations

¹ GHU Paris Psychiatry & Neurosciences, Clinic of Mental Illnesses & Brain Disorders (CMME), 100 rue de la Santé, 75014, Paris Cedex 14, France. e.scanferla@ghu-paris.fr.
² University of Paris, ED 450, Paris, France. e.scanferla@ghu-paris.fr.
³ University of Paris, ED 450, Paris, France.
⁴ GHU Paris Psychiatry & Neurosciences, Clinic of Mental Illnesses & Brain Disorders (CMME), 100 rue de la Santé, 75014, Paris Cedex 14, France.
⁵ Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, University of Paris, 75014, Paris, France.

PMID: 35133642
DOI: 10.1007/s40519-022-01365-y

Abstract

Purpose: For patients with eating disorders (EDs), early engagement in care is usually considered a positive prognostic factor. The aim of the study was to investigate how a single-day intervention devoted to early, brief, experiential exposure to a variety of psychotherapy approaches might support commitment to change and the decision to engage in care in patients with EDs.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-nine adult outpatients newly diagnosed with an ED took part in a single-day workshop for groups of up to ten patients, where they experienced eight psychotherapeutic approaches. Motivation to change care and level of insight were assessed at baseline and 10 days after the intervention.

Results: Motivation and commitment to take active steps toward change (expressed by the "Committed Action" composite score) significantly improved after the intervention (p < 0.001), and a significant number of patients specifically moved from "contemplation" to "action" stage (p < 0.001). The improvement of motivation to change was significantly associated with an increase in insight capacity (p < 0.001), and this increase was observed for almost all related dimensions such as recognition of illness or awareness of need for psychological treatment.

Conclusion: A single-day session devoted to experiencing a range of group psychotherapies increased patients' insight and motivation to actively engage in care. To confirm potential longer-term benefits of this intervention, further studies are needed to explore the contribution of each approach and process specifically involved in patients' increased motivation for care, as well as the clinical characteristics of patients associated with better outcomes.

Level of evidence: V: Opinions of respected authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Bulimia nervosa; Eating disorders; Intervention efficacy; Motivation to change; Psychotherapies.

MeSH terms

Adult
Feeding and Eating Disorders* / therapy
Humans
Motivation
Pilot Projects
Psychotherapy / methods
Psychotherapy, Group*