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An open trial of app-assisted acceptance and commitment therapy (iACT) for eating disorders in type 1 diabetes.

Author
Abstract
:

Eating disorders (EDs) among individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) increase the risk of early and severe diabetes-related medical complications and premature death. Conventional eating disorder (ED) treatments have been largely ineffective for T1D patients, indicating the need to tailor treatments to this patient population and the unique conditions under which ED symptoms emerge (in the context of a chronic illness with unrelenting demands to control blood glucose, diet and exercise). The current study was a pilot open trial of iACT, a novel intervention for EDs in T1D grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). iACT was based on the premise that ED symptoms emerge as individuals attempt to cope with T1D and related emotional distress. iACT taught acceptance and mindfulness as an alternative to maladaptive avoidance and control, and leveraged personal values to increase willingness to engage in T1D management, even when it was upsetting (e.g., after overeating). A tailored mobile application ("app") was used in between sessions to facilitate the application of ACT skills in the moment that individuals are making decisions about their diabetes management.

Year of Publication
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2021
Journal
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Journal of eating disorders
Volume
:
9
Issue
:
1
Number of Pages
:
6
Date Published
:
2021
URL
:
https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-020-00357-6
DOI
:
10.1186/s40337-020-00357-6
Short Title
:
J Eat Disord
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