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Aftercare intervention through text messaging in the treatment of bulimia nervosa—Feasibility pilot
Author(s) -
Robinson Sarah,
Perkins Sarah,
Bauer Stephanie,
Hammond Neil,
Treasure Janet,
Schmidt Ulrike
Publication year - 2006
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.20272
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , intervention (counseling) , attrition , psychological intervention , short message service , psychotherapist , psychology , text messaging , psychiatry , medicine , eating disorders , clinical psychology , dentistry , world wide web , computer science , operating system
Objective: Even with the best available treatment, most bulimia nervosa (BN) sufferers are not symptom free at the end of therapy and, for those who have achieved remission, risk of relapse is high. Thus, there is a need for aftercare or relapse prevention interventions after therapy. It is not yet known what type of intervention should be delivered, and how to suit patient needs while being mindful of cost and time constraints of service providers. This pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a text messaging (short messaging service [SMS])‐based intervention in the aftercare of BN patients who had received outpatient psychotherapy. Method: A total of 21 patients with BN participated in the 6‐month SMS‐based intervention as a step‐down treatment AFTER outpatient therapy. Results: Levels of use of the program were relatively low and attrition high, indicating limited acceptance of the intervention. Conclusion: This study suggests that the SMS‐based intervention would benefit from further adaptation to make it a more useful tool for the aftercare of patients after outpatient treatment for bulimia nervosa. © 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2006; 39:633–638