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Engaging teachers in an eating disorder preventive intervention
Author(s) -
Favaro Angela,
Zanetti Tatiana,
Huon Gail,
Santonastaso Paolo
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20148
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , psychology , eating disorders , developmental psychology , bulimia nervosa , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry
Objective This study evaluated the effectiveness at 1‐year follow‐up of a psychoeducational eating disorders preventive intervention implemented by specifically trained teachers. Method Participating teachers participated in a 5‐week training program. One hundred forty‐one female students attending nine classes at a vocational training school in Mestre (Venice) were assessed via a structured clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis I disorders) and via the 40‐item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT‐40). Three classes were randomly selected to participate in a 6‐week prevention program conducted by the trained teachers. Results Our data show that a disturbing number of the girls who were asymptomatic at baseline had developed a full or partial eating disorder 1 year later. This was the case for 2 (5%) participants and 10 (11%) subjects in the control group. Subjects in the prevention group differed significantly from the control group at the 1‐year follow‐up. This was the case for their EAT Bulimia subscale scores, which showed a significant improvement. The intervention group also revealed a lower development of food restraint and pathologic body attitudes. Discussion Given the sample size, our findings must be considered cautiously. However, they suggest that students can benefit from participation in a preventive intervention program conducted by teachers, and the benefits appear to be particularly pronounced for bulimic symptoms. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.