Can Emotion Regulation Based Intervention be Applied to Groups with Comorbid Symptoms of Eating Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Created on 11th May 2022

Conference: The Asian Undergraduate Research Symposium (AURS8)
Title: Can Emotion Regulation Based Intervention be Applied to Groups with Comorbid Symptoms of Eating Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
Stream: Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences
Presentation Type: Virtual Poster Presentation
Authors:
Tsz Yau Lee, University College London, United Kingdom

Abstract:

Current evidence supports the effectiveness of emotion regulation (ER) based intervention for different types of eating disorders (ED). However, less research has focused on whether self-help ER intervention could be useful for subclinical population with symptoms of EDs, and whether it could be effectively applied to patients with comorbid symptoms of ED and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hence, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a self-help ER-based intervention for ED, comorbid OCD and ED symptoms. Group allocation (ED-only, comorbid ED and OCD group) was based on Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) scores. Participants' Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) score was measured at baseline and after 4 weeks of ER-based intervention. 22 participants were included in the analysis after eligibility assessment, drop-out and outlier removal. 2 (time of measurement) x 2 (symptom group) ANOVA analysis was conducted. Significant improvement in cognitive appraisal subscale of ERQ score was found for all participants before and after ER-based intervention, with no main effect of symptom group identified. The intervention, however, did not significantly impact the expressive suppression subscale in the two groups. Overall, the ER-based intervention has been suggested to enhance emotion regulation skills by improving participants’ cognitive appraisal ability, which applies as effectively to comorbid symptoms. The insignificant effect of ER-based intervention on expressive suppression is discussed with reference to previous research and the limitations of the study. Future studies are recommended to employ a greater sample with an active control group, and interactive materials to reduce the attrition rate.