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Angus BM, Saling LL, Moffitt RL. Self-compassionate reflective writing for affect regulation in Australian perinatal women. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2024; 16:745-764. [PMID: 38095265 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The current study investigated the effect of a brief online self-compassionate reflective writing task on affect regulation in a sample of Australian perinatal women. Participants were 55 women (Mage = 35.47, SD = 3.79) who were pregnant (16.4%) and/or had an infant <24 months old (76.4%). State self-compassion, positive and negative affect, and future help-seeking behavior intentions were compared at pre- and post-intervention while controlling for trait self-compassion. Inductive thematic analysis was used to extract themes regarding why participants deemed the intervention helpful or unhelpful. As hypothesized, global state self-compassion and intention to engage in self-care behavior were higher, and negative affect was lower, immediately post-intervention relative to pre-intervention scores. Follow-up subscale analyses revealed that the mechanisms of the shift in state self-compassion scores were via reduced self-judgment and overidentification and increased common humanity. There was no significant change in positive affect or intention to engage in help-seeking behavior. Most participants (75%) indicated that the task was helpful with themes identified as written format, changed perspective, dedicating time to reflect, improved mood, and practicing self-kindness. Self-compassionate reflective writing may be a brief and accessible psychosocial approach with the potential to foster healthy emotion regulation and coping among perinatal women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn M Angus
- Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lauren L Saling
- Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robyn L Moffitt
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
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Marques CC, Sayal A, Crisóstomo J, Duarte JV, Castilho P, Goss K, Pereira AT, Castelo-Branco M. A neural network underlying cognitive strategies related to eating, weight and body image concerns. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1274817. [PMID: 38318273 PMCID: PMC10839062 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1274817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Concerns about food intake, weight and body shape can trigger negatively loaded emotions, which may prompt the use of cognitive strategies to regulate these emotional states. A novel fMRI task was developed to assess the neurobehavioral correlates of cognitive strategies related to eating, weight and body image concerns, such as self-criticism, avoidance, rumination, and self-reassurance. Fourteen healthy females were presented audio sentences referring to these conditions and instructed to repeat these internally while engaging their thoughts with the content of food or body images. Participants were asked to report the elicited emotion and rate their performance. All cognitive strategies recruited a network including the inferior and superior frontal gyri, orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and dorsal striatum. These brain regions are involved in emotional, reward and inhibitory control processing. Representational similarity analysis revealed distinct patterns of neural responses for each cognitive strategy. Additionally, self-report measures showed that self-criticism was positively associated with superior frontal gyrus (SFG) activation. Self-compassion scores were negatively correlated with activations in the insula and right putamen, while self-reassurance scores were negatively associated with activity in the orbitofrontal cortex. These findings identify a neural network underlying cognitive strategies related to eating, weight and body image concerns, where neurobehavioral correlation patterns depend on the cognitive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiana C. Marques
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Sayal
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Siemens Healthineers, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana Crisóstomo
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João V. Duarte
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Paula Castilho
- Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Kenneth Goss
- Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust, Coventry Eating Disorder Service, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Ana T. Pereira
- Institute of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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Wang W, Ding X. A pilot randomized trial of self-compassion writing for young adult women engaged in emotional eating in the context of appearance-related cyberbullying. Int J Eat Disord 2023; 56:1520-1533. [PMID: 37080948 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of a 10-min self-compassion writing in alleviating body dissatisfaction, self-objectification, and emotional eating in young adult women engaged in emotional eating in the context of appearance-related cyberbullying. METHOD A total of 175 Chinese young adult women (Mage = 20.90, SD = 1.65) were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: self-compassion, distraction, or control group. At baseline, participants completed assessments of trait and state body dissatisfaction, trait self-objectification, trait self-compassion, emotional eating, and positive and negative affect. Then they needed to recall an appearance-related cyberbullying victimization experience, after which state body dissatisfaction, state self-objectification, and positive and negative affect were measured. After the intervention, participants completed measures of state body dissatisfaction, state self-objectification, positive and negative affect, state self-compassion, and a food-choosing task. At 1-month follow-up, participants completed measures of trait body dissatisfaction, trait self-objectification, trait self-compassion, and emotional eating. RESULTS At post-intervention, state body dissatisfaction and negative affect were significantly lower, and positive affect was significantly higher in both the self-compassion and distraction groups compared to control. State self-objectification was significantly lower in the self-compassion group than in the other two groups. At 1-month follow-up, the self-compassion group showed significantly lower levels of body dissatisfaction than the control group. DISCUSSION The findings provide initial evidence for the potential of self-compassion writing in reducing state self-objectification and state body dissatisfaction in the context of appearance-related cyberbullying. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Appearance-related cyberbullying, a common phenomenon in social networking sites, has been documented to associate with appearance-related concerns and disordered eating in young adult women. However, effective interventions that can reduce these negative associations are scarce. This study preliminarily found that a brief self-compassion writing could be a potential intervention for reducing state self-objectification and state body dissatisfaction in young adult women who had suffered appearance-related cyberbullying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenying Wang
- Department of Medical Psychology, School of Medical Humanities, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinfang Ding
- Department of Medical Psychology, School of Medical Humanities, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Zhou H, Wu AMS, Su X, Chang L, Chen JH, Zhang MX, Tong KK. Childhood environment and adulthood food addiction: Testing the multiple mediations of life history strategies and attitudes toward self. Appetite 2023; 182:106448. [PMID: 36608768 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Food addiction is associated with both physical and mental health conditions, such as obesity and depression, and is considered a public health problem. Based on life history (LH) theory, this study aimed to test the association between unpredictable childhood environment and food addiction in adulthood and to examine LH strategies and attitudes toward self as psychological mediators of this association. A random sample of 1010 adults, aged from 18 to 88 years (44.8% male; Mage = 38.52, SDage = 14.53), voluntarily participated in an anonymous telephone survey conducted in Macao, China. The results of a path analysis showed the significant and positive direct effect of childhood unpredictability on food addiction and its negative association with slow LH strategy, which in turn was negatively correlated with food addiction. In addition, slow LH strategy and self-judgment, rather than self-kindness, acted as serial mediators in the association between childhood unpredictability and food addiction. These findings support the applicability of LH theory to understanding food addiction, as well as pointing to the potential risk effect of self-judgment for food addiction in adulthood. Self-judgment reduction may be a potential supplementary approach for future food addiction intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhou
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Anise M S Wu
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Xiaoyu Su
- School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lei Chang
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Juliet Honglei Chen
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Meng Xuan Zhang
- Department of Medical Humanities, School of Humanities, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kwok Kit Tong
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China.
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Moffitt RL, Neumann DL, Gersh HE, van Poppel EJ. A brief self-compassionate reflective writing task can manage negative reactions following an eating transgression. AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/00050067.2023.2183109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robyn L. Moffitt
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David L. Neumann
- School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
| | - Hannah E. Gersh
- Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Emily J. van Poppel
- Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Kamboj SK, Peniket M, Simeonov L. A bioelectronic route to compassion: Rationale and study protocol for combining transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with compassionate mental imagery. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282861. [PMID: 36913378 PMCID: PMC10010509 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vagus nerve (VN) is a neural nexus between the brain and body, enabling bidirectional regulation of mental functioning and peripheral physiology. Some limited correlational findings suggest an association between VN activation and a particular form of self-regulation: compassionate responding. Interventions that are geared towards strengthening self-compassion in particular, can serve as an antidote to toxic shame and self-criticism and improve psychological health. OBJECTIVE We describe a protocol for examining the role of VN activation on 'state' self-compassion, self-criticism, and related outcomes. By combining transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with a brief imagery-based self-compassion intervention, we aim to preliminarily test additivity versus synergy between these distinct bottom-up and top-down methods for putatively regulating vagal activity. We also test whether the effects of VN stimulation accumulate with daily stimulation and daily compassionate imagery practice. METHODS Using a randomized 2 x 2 factorial (stimulation x imagery condition) design, healthy volunteers (n = 120) receive active (tragus) or sham (earlobe) tVNS plus standardized (audio-recorded) self-compassionate or sham mental imagery instructions. These interventions are delivered in a university-based psychological laboratory in two sessions, one week apart, as well as being self-administered between sessions by participants at home. Pre-stimulation, peri-stimulation and post-imagery measures of state self-compassion, self-criticism and related self-report outcomes are assessed in two lab sessions, separated by a week (Days 1 and 8). Heart rate variability is used as a physiological metric of vagal activity and an eye-tracking task assesses attentional bias to compassionate faces during the two lab sessions. On Days 2-7, participants continue their randomly assigned stimulation and imagery tasks at home, and complete state measures at the end of each remote session. DISCUSSION Demonstrating modulation of compassionate responding using tVNS would support a causal link between VN activation and compassion. This would provide a basis for future studies of bioelectronic approaches to augmenting therapeutic contemplative techniques. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT05441774 (Date: July 1st 2022). OSF REGISTRATION https://osf.io/4t9ha.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunjeev K. Kamboj
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Matthew Peniket
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Louise Simeonov
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Brenton-Peters J, Consedine NS, Roy R, Cavadino A, Serlachius A. Self-compassion, Stress, and Eating Behaviour: Exploring the Effects of Self-compassion on Dietary Choice and Food Craving After Laboratory-Induced Stress. Int J Behav Med 2022; 30:438-447. [PMID: 35731497 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-022-10110-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress has been linked to high-fat and high-sugar food consumption. Self-compassion is associated with better emotional and physiological responses to stress. The current study explored whether trait self-compassion or induced state self-compassion could improve dietary choice and food craving after a stress induction. METHOD Fifty-three university students completed an online survey assessing self-compassion, eating restraint, and general perceived stress before attending a laboratory visit. In the laboratory, participants were randomised to a neutral writing control or a self-compassion letter writing condition before a stress induction. Measures of heart rate, heart rate variability, state self-compassion, dietary choice, and state food cravings were taken. RESULTS The brief self-compassion intervention did not sufficiently increase state self-compassion in the intervention group compared to the neutral writing condition. There was no effect of the written self-compassion intervention on heart rate, heart rate variability, dietary choice, or food craving. However, higher trait self-compassion was associated with healthier dietary choices (F(1, 49) = 5.35, p = .025, R2 = .098). CONCLUSION Results suggest that higher trait self-compassion improved dietary choice after stress in a controlled environment in a university population. Further research is warranted to explore whether brief self-compassion interventions can improve state self-compassion and thereby influence dietary choices and food cravings after a stress induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Brenton-Peters
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, 22-30 Park Avenue, Building 507, Auckland, New Zealand
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nathan S Consedine
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, 22-30 Park Avenue, Building 507, Auckland, New Zealand
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rajshri Roy
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Alana Cavadino
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna Serlachius
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, 22-30 Park Avenue, Building 507, Auckland, New Zealand.
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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The effects of response inhibition training following binge memory retrieval in young adults binge eaters: a randomised-controlled experimental study. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9281. [PMID: 35661111 PMCID: PMC9166753 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12173-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Binge eating is increasingly prevalent among adolescents and young adults and can have a lasting harmful impact on mental and physical health. Mechanistic insights suggest that aberrant reward-learning and biased cognitive processing may be involved in the aetiology of binge eating. We therefore investigated whether recently developed approaches to catalyse brief interventions by putatively updating maladaptive memory could also boost the effects of cognitive bias modification training on binge eating behaviour. A non-treatment-seeking sample of 90 binge eating young adults were evenly randomised to undergo either selective food response inhibition training, or sham training following binge memory reactivation. A third group received training without binge memory reactivation. Laboratory measures of reactivity and biased responses to food cues were assessed pre-post intervention and bingeing behaviour and disordered eating assessed up to 9 months post-intervention. The protocol was pre-registered at https://osf.io/82c4r/ . We found limited evidence of premorbid biased processing in lab-assessed measures of cognitive biases to self-selected images of typical binge foods. Accordingly, there was little evidence of CBM reducing these biases and this was not boosted by prior 'reactivation' of binge food reward memories. No group differences were observed on long-term bingeing behaviour, caloric consumption or disordered eating symptomatology. These findings align with recent studies showing limited impact of selective inhibition training on binge eating and do not permit conclusions regarding the utility of retrieval-dependent memory 'update' mechanisms as a treatment catalyst for response inhibition training.
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Liquori S, Faidutti G, Garzitto M, Saetti L, Bendotti M, Balestrieri M. Efficacy of a Group Psychoeducation Treatment in Binge Eating Disorder: An Open-Label Study. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:822282. [PMID: 35558418 PMCID: PMC9086709 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.822282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary group psychoeducation treatment (GPT) in patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). METHODS We designed an open-label efficacy study that included a population of 45 patients diagnosed with BED. A measure of eating attitudes and associated psychological constructs was obtained through the use of the self-report instruments Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3), Binge Eating Scale (BES) and Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) was also administered to assess general psychopathology. All participants participated in 12 weekly group psychoeducational treatment meetings, 8 of which were conducted by mental health professionals, and a second module of 4 meetings, oriented on health and nutrition education topics, conducted by a dietician. RESULTS At the end of treatment, patients showed significant improvements in body mass index (BMI) and binge eating. Paired t-tests showed significant differences at p-value < 0.05 in all eating disorder risk scales and for most of the general psychological scales related to eating disorders. In addition, patients experienced an improvement in their perception of overall body image, a decrease in concerns about physical appearance and less body image avoidance. Finally, results showed that psychoeducation treatment was associated with significant improvements in interpersonal sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study may indicate that significant short-term improvements can be achieved through a psychoeducation group for BED patients. Although limited by the lack of a control condition, this study adds to a growing body of evidence with promising results, setting the stage for further case-control studies of BED treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Liquori
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
| | - Giovanni Faidutti
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
| | - Marco Garzitto
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
| | - Luana Saetti
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
| | - Monica Bendotti
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
| | - Matteo Balestrieri
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine (DAME), Centre for Eating Disorders, University of Udine and Friuli Centrale Health-University Trust (ASUFC), Udine, Italy
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Salvo V, Sanudo A, Kristeller J, Schveitzer MC, Martins P, Favarato ML, Demarzo M. Mindful eating for overweight and obese women in Brazil: An exploratory mixed-methods pilot study. Nutr Health 2021; 28:591-601. [PMID: 34913753 DOI: 10.1177/02601060211052794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: Worldwide, approximately 95% of obese people who follow diets for weight loss fail to maintain their weight loss in the long term. To fill this gap, mindfulness-based interventions, with a focus on mindful eating, are promising therapies to address this challenging public health issue. Aim: To verify the effects of the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) protocol by exploring quantitative and qualitative data collected from Brazilian women. Methods: A single-group, mixed-methods trial was conducted at a public university with adult women (n = 34). Four MB-EAT groups were offered weekly for 2.5-h sessions over 12 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included body mass index (BMI) and self-report measures of anxiety, depression, mindfulness, self-compassion, and eating behaviour. Qualitative information was collected using focus groups in the last session of each group, including both participants and MB-EAT instructors. The qualitative data were examined using thematic analyses and empirical categories. Results: Twenty participants (58.8%) completed both pre- and post-intervention assessments, with adequate attendance (≥4 sessions). There was a significant average decrease in weight of 1.9 ± 0.6 kg from pre- to post-intervention. All participants who had scored at the risk level for eating disorders on the EAT-26 decreased their score below this risk level. Qualitative analysis identified that participants were able to engage a more compassionate perspective on themselves, as well as greater self-awareness and self-acceptance. Conclusion: The MB-EAT showed preliminary efficacy in promoting weight loss and improvements in mindfulness and eating behaviour. This intervention promoted effects beyond those expected, extending to other life contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Salvo
- Mente Aberta, Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriana Sanudo
- Department of Preventive Medicine, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana Cabral Schveitzer
- Department of Preventive Medicine, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patricia Martins
- Mente Aberta, Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Lucia Favarato
- Mente Aberta, Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Demarzo
- Mente Aberta, Brazilian Center for Mindfulness and Health Promotion, 58804Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
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