Improving Access to Services, Preventing Eating Disorders, and Addressing Comorbid Depression and Anxiety in Diverse Adolescents
Washington University School of Medicine
Summary
The purpose of this study is to test an eating disorders prevention digital chatbot program in a diverse group of adolescents.
Description
Eating disorders (EDs) are impacting youth at extreme rates, with up to 22% of adolescents reporting ED symptoms, and are associated with very high psychiatric comorbidity. Since adolescence is a critical period for the onset of eating disorders, prevention during this stage is essential to reducing lifetime prevalence. Interventions have been developed to prevent the onset of these devastating disorders, but these programs are generally not publicly available and rarely offer support for addressing comorbidity or the unique needs of vulnerable subpopulations (e.g., low-income populations, sex…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 13–17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria 1. 13 - 17 years old 2. Owns a smartphone 3. Speaks English 4. US resident 5. Screens as at-risk for an eating disorder 6. Not currently in treatment for an eating disorder Exclusion Criteria: 1. Below 13 or older than 17 years of age 2. Does not own a smartphone 3. Does not speak English 4. Lives outside the US 5. Screens as: 1. Having a subclinical or clinical ED 2. Not at risk for an ED 3. In treatment for an ED
Interventions
- BehavioralWysa Digital Chatbot Program
Wysa is a digital rules-based chatbot program platform offering cognitive-behavioral therapy-based guided self-help modules, including five modules for eating and body image developed by our team. Participants in this arm will engage with the digital chatbot program daily for three months to complete all five modules.
Location
- Washington University in St. LouisSt Louis, Missouri