Online single-session interventions to encourage young adults at risk of disordered eating to seek help.
Piloting a single-session intervention to enhance help-seeking in young adults aged 18-25 at risk of disordered eating.
Flinders University
30 participants
May 9, 2025
Interventional
Conditions
Summary
This study is a pilot trial testing two brief online interventions for young adults (18-25 years) with high concerns about their weight and body shape. The goal is to see if these single-session interventions (SSIs) are feasible and acceptable, and to explore their effects on mental health and help-seeking attitudes. Participants, who are first-year psychology students at Flinders University, will be randomly assigned to one of two interventions: a help-seeking SSI or a behavioural activation SSI. The help-seeking SSI provides participants with a better understanding of what negative body image is and motivational strategies to promote help-seeking, whereas the behavioural activation SSI aims to improve mood by emphasising the importance of positive action. Participants will complete baseline measures, followed by their allocated single session intervention and post-treatment measures straight after.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria3
- First Year Flinders University Psychology Students
- Aged 18-25
- Meet high risk on Weight Concerns Scale (i.e. scoring greater than or equal to 47)
Exclusion Criteria1
- Currently receiving professional help (i.e., from a qualified practitioner such as psychologist, psychiatrist, GP, dietician) for eating concerns.
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Interventions
30 minute help-seeking single session intervention (SSI). The SSI will be administered online via the Qualtrics survey software. This SSI follows a "learn" and "do" section. The “learn” section of help-seeking SSI provides psychoeducation on negative body image and its consequences, and psychoeducation on the societal pressure to confirm to certain body or appearance standards and the costs associated with pursuing these ideals. The “do” section incorporates activities that encourage participants to identify the benefits of change, fears of change, and responses to fears. Strategies used to monitor adherence to the intervention include a timer on each page (participant must look at page for 10 seconds before they can click proceed) and forced responses (participant must answer questions within the SSI to proceed). There will be five levels of help-seeking resources provided to all participants immediately following their allocated SSI. Engagement will be measured with number of clicks on each resource. If participants do not engage with the level, the task will end, and they will immediately move onto the post-intervention questionnaires. Level 1 will gauge initial interest/awareness by asking participants if they would like to learn about supports available for body image and eating concerns. Level 2 will measure passive engagement by providing a fact sheet with an overview of supports available for eating concerns and body image help. Level 3 will assess moderate engagement, which involves downloading a PDF with helpful self-guided strategies for overcoming negative body image or eating concerns. Level 4 will determine high engagement by asking participants if they would like to learn about support services available on campus for negative body image and eating concerns. Level 5, strong intent to seek help, will provide participants with the option to actively seek help, such as receiving information on how to book an appointment with Flinders University student counselling, downloading a self-referral form for the Flinders University Services for Eating Disorders (FUSED), ringing Butterfly Helpline, or accessing CCI resources.
Locations(1)
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ACTRN12625000572460