Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an Eating Disorder Intervention

The purpose of this study is to determine if a new intervention using techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes et al., 1999) in combination with activities from The Body Project (Stice et al., 2009), will be able to reduce negative body image concerns and increase mindfulness skills in college females. Prior to receiving the intervention, participants completed a pre-test measuring their current body image concerns as well as mindfulness abilities. The intervention was administered in a large, group setting and took approximately 35 minutes to administer. After receiving the intervention, participants completed the same assessment measures as the pre-test, but in a post-test form. Results indicate that there was a significant difference in body image after participants received the intervention of ACT and The Body Project. There was not a significant difference for the mindfulness facets measured in the study. This research contributes to a growing area of eating disorder treatment using ACT, and can help provide evidence for the benefits of using specific ACT and The Body Project activities for treating and preventing negative body image.