Body-oriented therapy in the prevention of eating disorders. A systematic review.

Emilia Korsak

Katedra Psychologii Klinicznej, Rozwoju i Edukacji, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9677-3731


Abstract

Despite the growing importance of body-oriented therapy and the widespread use of methods using bodywork, there is a lack of systematic scientific reviews that analyze its effectiveness on body image disturbances in people with anorexia or at risk of developing it. This is a barrier both for practitioners reaching for therapeutic solutions and theorists studying the mechanisms of therapeutic interventions or educators working on health prevention. The aim of this paper is to review research on the impact of different types of interventions based on body-work methods on the body image of people with eating disorders or at risk of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. The study was conducted according to the PRISMA standard. Electronic databases (ProQuest, PsychINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched for randomized control trials (RCTs). A total of 425 items were reviewed, of which 69 full-text articles were critically appraised. Finally, 15 studies that met all inclusion criteria were included in the review.
Analyses indicated that programs based on body-work methods, compared with control groups, were more effective in reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors and that adding them to a primary form of therapy may lead to significant reductions in eating disorder symptoms. In the future, it would be important to directly compare the effects of specific types of interventions on risk factors and protective factors.


Keywords:

body-oriented therapy, body image, eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, prevention


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Published
2022-12-23

Cited by

Korsak, E. (2022). Body-oriented therapy in the prevention of eating disorders. A systematic review. The Review of Psychology, 65(1), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.31648/przegldpsychologiczny.7814

Emilia Korsak 
Katedra Psychologii Klinicznej, Rozwoju i Edukacji, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9677-3731