Effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on body image dissatisfaction, cognitive emotion regulation and impulsivity in women with bulimia nervosa: A single case study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology. Aras Campus. University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

3 Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy in reducing body image dissatisfaction, enhancing cognitive emotion regulation, and decreasing impulsivity in women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa.
Methods: A single case study design was employed involving four female participants aged 25-28 diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. Each participant engaged in 8 sessions of EFT over three months. Assessments were performed at baseline, during treatment, and at follow-up using standardized measures: The Binge Eating Scale (Gormally et al., 1982), the Mental Image Flexibility Questionnaire (Sandoz et al., 2013), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (Patton et al. 1995). For data analysis, visual drawing methods, reliable change indices, percentage of recovery, and percentage of non-overlapping data were utilized.
Results: The results indicated that emotion-focused therapy significantly reduced binge eating, body image dissatisfaction, enhanced cognitive emotion regulation, and decreased impulsivity in women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (RCI ≥ 1.96), with therapeutic effects maintained during the follow-up phase.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that emotion-focused therapy may effectively address body image dissatisfaction, cognitive emotion regulation, and impulsivity in women with bulimia nervosa. This study highlights the potential of EFT as a valuable therapeutic approach for this population, warranting further research with larger samples to validate these preliminary outcomes.

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History

  • Receive Date: 19 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 13 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 03 May 2025

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