The Effectiveness of a Chatbot Single-Session Intervention for People on Waitlists for Eating Disorder Treatment: Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
Background Early treatment is critical for improving eating disorder prognosis. Single-session interventions (SSIs) can provide short-term support to people on waitlists for eating disorder treatment; however, it is not always possible to access SSIs. We co-designed and developed a rule-based chatbot called ED ESSI (Eating Disorder Electronic Single-Session Intervention), which delivered an SSI and demonstrated its acceptability and feasibility. However, the effectiveness of ED ESSI is yet to be investigated. Objective This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an SSI delivered by ED ESSI. We examined the chatbot’s impact on eating disorder pathology, psychosocial impairment, depression, anxiety, stress, and motivation for change or treatment in individuals aged ≥16 years on waitlists for treatment for all types of eating disorders. Methods This multicenter 2-armed randomized controlled trial included 60 people on waitlists for eating disorder treatment in the chatbot intervention group (n=30, 50%) or the control group (n=30, 50%). The ED ESSI chatbot guided participants through a 30-minute SSI of assessment and psychoeducation, while the control group received web-based information on the same core topics covered in the SSI. There were 4 time points: before intervention or baseline (time point 1 [T1]), after intervention within 72 hours of baseline (T2), 1 month after baseline (T3), and 3 months after baseline (T4). Eating disorder pathology (primary outcome) and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 60 participants or records.
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