Evidence for feasibility of implementing online brief cognitive‐behavioral therapy for eating disorder pathology in the workplace

Carla T. Toro, Agatha Payne, Tabitha Jackson, Sean Russell, Guy Daly, Glenn Waller, Caroline Meyer

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    Abstract

    Objective: CBT‐T is a brief (10‐week) cognitive‐behavioral therapy for non‐underweight eating disorders. This report describes the findings from a single center, single group, feasibility trial of online CBT‐T in the workplace as an alternative to health service settings. Method: This trial was approved by the Biomedical and Scientific Research Ethics committee, University of Warwick, UK (reference 125/20‐21) and was registered with ISRCTN (reference number: ISRCTN45943700). Recruitment was based on self‐reported eating and weight concerns rather than diagnosis, potentially enabling access to treatment for employees who have not previously sought help and for those with sub‐threshold eating disorder symptoms. Assessments took place at baseline, mid‐treatment (week 4), post‐treatment (week 10), and follow‐up (1 and 3 months post‐treatment). Participant experiences following treatment were assessed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results: For the primary outcomes, pre‐determined benchmarks of high feasibility and acceptability were met, based on recruiting >40 participants (N = 47), low attrition (38%), and a high attendance rate (98%) over the course of the therapy. Participant experiences revealed low previous help‐seeking for eating disorder concerns (21%). Qualitative findings indicated a wide range of positive impacts of the therapy and the workplace as the therapeutic setting. Analysis of secondary outcomes for participants with clinical and sub‐threshold eating disorder symptoms showed strong effect sizes for eating pathology, anxiety and depression, and moderate effect sizes for work outcomes. Discussion: These pilot findings provide a strong rationale for a fully powered randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of CBT‐T in the workplace. Public Significance: This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing an eating disorders intervention (online CBT‐T) in the workplace as an alternative to traditional healthcare settings. Recruitment was based on self‐reported eating and weight concerns rather than diagnosis, potentially enabling access to treatment for employees who had not previously sought help. The data also provide insights into recruitment, acceptability, effectiveness, and future viability of CBT‐T in the workplace.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1254-1268
    Number of pages15
    JournalInternational Journal of Eating Disorders
    Volume56
    Issue number6
    Early online date19 Apr 2023
    DOIs
    Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 19 Apr 2023

    Bibliographical note

    This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

    Funder

    Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions
    Midlands Engine

    Keywords

    • binge‐eating disorder
    • bulimia nervosa
    • cognitive‐behavioral therapy
    • eating disorder
    • mental disorders
    • workplace wellbeing

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