The efficacy of schema therapy on coping styles and body image concerns in obese people with binge-eating disorder : A single subject study

Inefficient coping styles and concern about body image are among the components that affect obese people with binge-eating disorders and lead to unhealthy eating behaviors. However, deep psychological interventions that focus on these components have received less attention. Considering that schema therapy is an integrated, deep, and effective treatment, the question of the current research is whether this intervention can affect coping styles and body image concerns in obese people with binge-eating disorders.

The purpose of the study was the effectiveness of schema therapy on coping styles and body image concerns in obese people with binge eating disorder.

The design of the current research was semi-experimental with a single-subject structure, including baseline, intervention and follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all obese women suffering from overeating who referred to a slimming clinic in Tehran in 2021-2022. The research sample consisted of eight obese women. The research tools were Young and Rygh's extreme compensation questionnaire (1994), Young and Rygh's avoidance questionnaire (1994), Fairburn’s eating disorder symptoms questionnaire (2008) and semi-structured interview and schema therapy protocol (Simpson, 2018). For data analysis, percentage of non-overlapping data, improvement percentage, valid change index and trend chart were used.

Indicators of improvement percentage, percentage of non-overlapping data, and reliable change index in the avoidance variable for the second, fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth participants; In the variable of extreme compensation for the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth participants and in the variable of physical concerns, all the participants had a significant improvement in the intervention and follow-up stage (they had an RCI higher than 1.96), which indicates The efficacy and stability of schema therapy results.

Considering the effectiveness of schema therapy on extreme avoidance and compensation styles and body image concerns, it is suggested to pay attention to the physical components in the treatment of obese people suffering from overeating, to psychological components such as maladaptive schemas and coping styles arising from them.