The effectiveness of dialectical behaviour therapy for treating women with obesity suffering from BED: A feasibility and pilot study

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to examine the effects of dialectical behaviour therapy skills training intervention on emotional eating, body image, and weight management in women with obesity suffering from binge eating disorder.

Method

Forty women with obesity were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria from three outpatient nutrition clinics in Tehran, Iran, and were assigned into the dialectical behaviour therapy (n = 20) or control groups (n = 20) randomly. The dialectical behaviour therapy group participated in 20 group therapy sessions, while there was no intervention for the control group. All participants completed the Multidimensional Body Self‐Relations Questionnaire‐Appearance Scale, Emotional Eating Scale, and body mass index at the baseline and post‐treatment.

Results

Current results indicated that dialectical behaviour therapy has significant effects on the reduction of body mass index and emotional eating subscales (except for depression; F [1, 35] = 0.05, p = .94). Moreover, dialectical behaviour therapy resulted in an improvement in the body image of women with obesity at the end of the treatment.

Conclusions

This study suggests that dialectical behaviour therapy‐based skills training is efficacious not only in reducing weight and emotional eating but also in improving the body image of females with binge eating disorder.

Key words:

• binge eating disorder
• body image
• body mass index
• dialectical behaviour therapy
• emotional eating
• obesity