Authors: Aracelli Núñez Navarro, Daniel B. Fassnacht, Ana Rita Vaz, Eva Conceição, Markus Mößner, Stephanie Bauer, Paulo P. Machado
Centre: Psychology Department, University of Minho

Introduction

Eating disorders are serious and complex disorders affecting mainly female adolescents and young women. College entry is considered an important transitional phase that is often experienced as a stressful period causing psychological distress in students (Dyson & Renk, 2006). Several prevention programs have reduced eating disorder symptoms, ‘Student Bodies' an Internet-based cognitive-behavioural intervention caused a substantial reduction in weight and shape concerns in college-age women at-risk for the development of an ED and also provided first evidence for the potential of these programs in the prevention of ED onset (Taylor et al, 2006). New technologies play an increasing role in psychotherapy as they open new perspectives for patient's care. Different media such as email and chat sessions have already been successfully used in prevention and maintenance approaches for patients with various mental disorders (Kordy, Haug & Percevic, 2006).

Objectives

The goal of this study is to implement and evaluate an innovative Internet-based program for the prevention of eating disorders in University students.

Method

The proposed study is a randomized controlled trial with two groups (intervention and control group). Only the intervention group will participate in the Internet-based program following a stepped-care approach. Participants will be students of the University of Minho, Portugal who have a risk to develop an ED and/or show slight symptoms of an ED. Every participant will be observed for a period of 12 month (intervention and control group) and will have the same number of assessments.

Results

We expect that fewer participants become "ED cases" in the intervention group compared with the control group and that the time until participants become a "case" is longer in the intervention than in the control group. Criteria for cases are based on DSM-IV.