Symposia
Eating Disorders
Margaret Sala, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Riverside, Connecticut
Cheri Levinson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Hedy Kober, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Corey R. Roos, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric disorder. Unfortunately, current treatments are lacking. We developed a beta-version of a digital mindfulness-based intervention for AN called Mindful Courage-Beta, which includes: (a) one foundational multimedia module; (b) ten daily meditation mini-modules; (c) emphasis on a core skill set called the ‘BOAT,’ an acronym for Breathe, Observe, Accept, Take a Moment; and (d) brief phone coaching for both technical and motivational support. In this open trial, we aimed to evaluate (1) acceptability and feasibility; (2) intervention skill use and its association with state mindfulness in daily life; and (3) pre-to-post changes in target mechanisms and outcomes. Eighteen individuals with past-year AN or past-year atypical AN completed Mindful Courage-Beta over two weeks. Participants completed measures of acceptability, trait mindfulness, emotion regulation, eating disorder symptoms, and body dissatisfaction. Participants also completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of skill use and state mindfulness. Acceptability ratings were good (ease-of-use: 8.2/10, helpfulness: 7.6/10). Adherence was excellent (100% completion for foundational module and 96% for mini-modules). Use of the BOAT in daily life was high (1.8 times/day) and was significantly associated with higher state mindfulness at the within-person level. We also found significant, large improvements in the target mechanisms of trait mindfulness (d = .96) and emotion regulation (d = .76), as well as significant, medium-to-large reductions in eating disorder symptoms (ds =.36 - .67) and body dissatisfaction (d = .60). Overall, Mindful Courage-Beta appears to be promising and further research on a longer, refined version is warranted.