Participant feedback from peer‐led, clinician‐led, and internet‐delivered eating disorder prevention interventions

OBJECTIVE: This article examines qualitative participant feedback to clinician-delivered groups, peer-delivered groups, and an Internet version of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program from a controlled trial. These data have not been systematically examined and can inform the refinement and implementation of eating disorder prevention programs. METHOD: Feedback was collected from body dissatisfied young women (N = 680; M age = 22.2, SD = 7.1) randomized to a clinician-led group, peer-led group, Internet version of this prevention program or to an educational video. RESULTS: Clinician and peer-led group participants reported the group setting, feeling that they were not alone, and the letter exercise as most valuable; the most common response of what was less valuable was "none." Many participants of the Internet version suggested increasing community support. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the importance of considering the therapeutic value of group membership, and that online prevention programs could be enhanced by providing a mechanism for community support, such as an online forum. Results also inform selective prevention and suggest that screening potential participants to determine which delivery method best suits them should be considered.