Eating disorders study will explore biomarkers of treatment progress

New research into the treatment of eating disorders in women will seek to advance the field's understanding of how to confirm patients' progress in treatment. The study, to be conducted at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, will use participants' cardiac data to assist the effort to identify biomarkers of women's progress.

Melinda Green, a professor of psychology at the college, will use a grant of nearly $400,000 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to test a treatment strategy based on several prevailing theories. The treatment will address dissonance (a patient making arguments against her own behaviors), self-objectification (a judgment of self-worth based on appearance) and maladaptiove social comparison to others who are perceived as thinner or more attractive.

A total of 180 participants are expected to be enrolled in the three-year study, in which undergraduate and graduate students will gain experience in conducting group treatment.

“I'm passionate about women's issues, and we know that 56% of young women will struggle with some form of disordered eating,” Green said in a news release. “It affects our lives in so many different ways.”