DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

The goals of both of these prevention programs have been, in general, to decrease the risk
factors that lead to, and increase the factors that protect against, body dissatisfaction,
unhealthy weight control behaviours, and disordered eating symptoms. These include
working on distal (societal and community) and proximal (home environment and
parental behaviours) environmental factors e.g. comments from parents and changing
advertising from “exercise for weight-loss” towards “exercise for well-being,” removing
pictures of excessively thin models, as well as psychoeducation. These methods have
been found to be promising but far less than ideal (Levine & Smolak, 2006). This may be
because environmental adjustments need to be made in combination with individual
psychological changes so that the environmental prevention measures have the best
chance of success. Prevention programs may therefore need to include further work on
the psychological processes that may be related to eating disorders and obesity.
Gaps in the literature
The literature does not clearly specify how the risk factors may combine in some people
to result in the development of an eating disorder or allow us to differentiate those who
will not develop an eating disorder from those who simply have unhealthy eating or
compensatory behaviours. Nor does it allow for us to differentiate between those who
cross diagnostic categories. The same can be said about the protective factors that may be
at work with adolescents who are exposed to many of the risk factors for developing an
eating disorder and yet do not engage in any of the risk behaviours (Striegel-Moore,
1997). Therefore further investigation is needed to explore the psychological processes
that may be at play in the relationship between risk/protective factors and eating
pathology.
Rationale for this project
Evidence suggests that disordered eating may result in further eating problems and an
eating disorder, (i.e. AN, BN) or obesity. ACT suggests that inflexible emotional
processing (i.e. cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance) may act as a risk factor in
the development of such problems.
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