Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Versus Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Comorbid Eating Pathology

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that although eating pathology is prevalent in college populations, both CBT and non-CBT-based therapies achieve only limited effectiveness. The current study examined several questions related to the treatment of eating pathology within the context of a larger randomized controlled trial that compared standard CBT (i.e., Beck's cognitive therapy; CT) with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, 2004).The results indicated that the two treatments were differentially effective at reducing eating pathology. Specifically, CT produced modest decreases in eating pathology whereas ACT produced large decreases. In addition, a weaker suggestion emerged that ACT was more effective than CT at increasing clinician-rated global functioning among those with eating pathology. These findings suggest that ACT is a useful treatment for disordered eating and potentially, for eating disorders per se.