Clinical Research Directory

Implementing an Interdisciplinary Eating Disorder Screening and Treatment Program for Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients in Nova Scotia

The goal of this interventional study is to evaluate the Treatment and Evaluation for After Metabolic Surgery with Eating Disorders (TEAM-ED) program, which combines streamlined access to screening, diagnostic assessment, and treatment with an interdisciplinary team approach to treatment planning, for managing disordered eating in adults who have recently had weight loss surgery in Nova Scotia. The main question it aims to answer is 'can an interdisciplinary program for identifying and managing disordered eating after weight loss surgery be implemented in Nova Scotia? This study will determine the feasibility and impact of the TEAM-ED program by assessing the following objectives: 1. Reach (how effectively the program engages the target population \[post-weight loss surgery patients\]) 2. Effectiveness (the extent of the program's impact on key clinical outcomes related to disordered eating and weight management) 3. Adoption (the extent to which the program is adopted and accepted by clinicians) 4. Implementation (how consistent program delivery is and factors impacting consistent delivery) Participants will complete a disordered eating screening questionnaire online every 3 months after weight loss surgery until they reach 18-months post-surgery. Participants found to have disordered eating will be referred to the Nova Scotia Provincial Eating Disorder Service (NSEDPS) for standard disordered eating treatment (brief cognitive behavioral therapy \[CBT-T\]) plus treatment plan oversight by both weight loss surgery and eating disorder specialists. Standard outcome measures will be collected at baseline, during eating disorder treatment, post-treatment, and at follow-ups. Participants may also be asked to do a one-on-one research interview about their experiences with the program.

Study Comparing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Supportive Diabetes Counseling and a Waitlist Control for Eating Disorders in Type 1 Diabetes

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a new intervention works to treat eating disorders in type 1 diabetes. Participants are assigned to one of the following: (1) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), (2) Supportive Diabetes Counseling, or (3) a 6-month Waitlist Control. Participants in the ACT and Supportive Diabetes Counseling conditions complete 12 sessions over 12-16 weeks and use their mobile phone between sessions to increase engagement and reinforce learning. The main questions are: Does treatment improve glycemic levels, eating disorder symptoms, diabetes management and diabetes distress? Does one treatment do better than the other? How do the treatments work, if they work, and for whom? Participants complete assessments that include wearing a continuous glucose sensor and activity watch, and get a blood draw to determine HbA1c. They also complete diagnostic interviews, surveys and computer tests of attention and things like heart rate and reaction time. These assessments help us better understand the types of changes that are happening and how they might influence health and well-being.

Precision Subclassification of Mental Health in Diabetes: Digital Twins for Precision Mental Health to Track Subgroups

Mental conditions and disorders (e.g. distress, depressive, anxiety, and eating disorders) are more prevalent in people with diabetes (PWD) and associated with reduced quality of life and impaired glycaemic outcomes. Evidence supports a complex network between psychosocial factors and glycaemic control that can be highly variable between persons. It is assumed that subgroups exist that show different trajectories of glycaemia and mental health. Belonging to a particular subgroup may be linked with a higher risk of developing mental health problems compared to others. This suggests that it is possible to treat individuals in different subgroups in a manner that optimizes their treatment and can improve health outcomes. Accurate characterisation can inform more individualized care. This calls for a more personalised approach considering the idiosyncrasies of different subgroups. Over 3 years, the investigators have established the basis of a precision mental health approach for diabetes using n-of-1 analyses. By utilizing combined ecological momentary assessment (EMA: repeated daily sampling of psychosocial factors in everyday life) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), intensive longitudinal data per person could be collected. This enables the analysis of individual associations between glycaemic parameters and psychosocial variables and identification of individual sources of diabetes distress in each person. The objective of the present study is to use of the n-of-1 approach to identify subgroups of PWD who share common characteristics in the associations between glucose and psychosocial variables. The identified subgroups shall be used to develop a digital twin for precision mental health in diabetes. The digital twin serves as representation of a real person, allowing to make simulations and predictions of the course of mental health and glycaemia. These predictions can inform diabetes care and lead to more precise, personalised treatment decisions. To achieve this, a longitudinal panel including over 1,400 PWD who continuously complete EMA and questionnaire surveys and measure glucose levels using CGM was developed. Over 1000 clinical interviews to diagnose mental disorders have been conducted to identify major mental health conditions and map mental outcomes. To identify subgroups and develop the digital twin, the sampling will be expanded aiming at a total of 1,809 PWD. Incidence and remission of mental disorders will be determined via repeated interviews. The complex networks between clinical, metabolic, and psychosocial data will be analysed using machine learning, leading to new insights with the potential to shape future guidelines. These results will be used by the digital twin to predict courses of glycaemic control and mental health, translating the individual evidence into direct treatment suggestions.

Can a Single-session Intervention Decrease Risk for Mental Health Symptoms in Young Adults? A Preliminary Investigation of Feasibility and Acceptability

This project has two primary aims: 1) to develop a single session intervention to understand different forms of self-evaluation with input from young adults, and 2) to examine whether a single session can improve the ways in which young adults measure their self-importance with a session led by a trained masters-level therapist. Eligible participants will complete a baseline questionnaire, a therapeutic session online, and follow-up questionnaires.

Adolescent Chatbot

The purpose of this study is to test an eating disorders prevention digital chatbot program in a diverse group of adolescents.

ACT-ED: Randomized Controlled Trial of ACT-Based Eating Disorder Prevention Program

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the efficacy of an online group prevention program developed for women at risk for eating disorders with randomized controlled trial. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the ACT intervention lead to a significant difference in disordered eating behaviors among individuals at risk for eating disorders? * Does the ACT intervention lead to a significant difference in body dissatisfaction among individuals at risk for eating disorders? * Does the ACT intervention lead to a significant difference in obsessive-compulsive and borderline personality beliefs among individuals at risk for eating disorders? * Does body image flexibility significantly affect the impact of the ACT intervention on disordered eating behaviors? * Do self-as-context, cognitive defusion, and present-moment awareness significantly affect the impact of the ACT intervention on disordered eating behaviors? Participant will: Join the online 4-session ACT-based group program Fill the measures at pre-test, post-test and follow-up assessment.

The BEET Diabetes Feasibility Trial

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs, e.g., binge eating or restrictive eating) can significantly impact type 2 diabetes (T2D) self-management and engagement in treatment for diabetes. Managing DEBs is a treatment component in diabetes self-management; however, it is not often the primary focus, and trained behavioral health providers are inconsistently involved in comprehensive diabetes management. This study plans to pilot two behavior change programs for disordered eating in T2D and gather information on factors that predict successful adoption and implementation in real-world clinical settings.

Enhanced Cue Exposure Therapy for Negative Emotional Eating

The current study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Enhanced Cue Exposure Therapy (E-CET) in reducing negative emotional eating (NEE), compared to an active control intervention, behavioral lifestyle intervention (BLI), in a parallel-group, participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether changes in conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) expectancies mediate the changes in NEE.

An App to Reduce Social Media's Impact on Body Image and Eating Disorders

Social media (SM) is a key communication tool, particularly for young women aged 15-29. While SM fosters social connections, it is also linked to negative effects on mental health, including poor body image, low self-esteem, and maladaptive perfectionism. These issues arise due to social comparison with idealized images, especially on platforms like Instagram, which can contribute to disordered eating behaviours. Research suggests that reducing SM use can improve mental well-being, body image, and eating disorder symptoms. However, current interventions have not simultaneously addressed both reducing SM exposure and strengthening protective psychological factors. To address this gap, the proposed study aims to pilot BodyScreen, an intervention app designed to limit SM exposure while enhancing self-esteem and reducing perfectionism in young women at high risk for eating disorders. The study hypothesizes that BodyScreen will be feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving body image, self-esteem, and SM use, with sustained benefits at a 3-month follow-up. The intervention includes a virtual face-to-face session, mid-intervention email support, and a four-week app-based program using Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMIs). Participants will receive reminders to complete exercises designed to improve self-perception and reduce the negative effects of SM. Additionally, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) will track real-time self-esteem, perfectionism, and body image, while mobile sensing will monitor SM use to tailor interactive exercises accordingly. By integrating exposure reduction with psychological strengthening, BodyScreen aims to provide a novel, evidence-based approach to mitigating the harmful effects of SM on young women's mental health.

Conversations With Caregivers About Health and Appearance

This clinical trial is evaluating the effects of a 2-hour, small group discussion with parents and caregivers of adolescents in Oregon. We will evaluate whether parents'/caregivers' experience reductions in their disordered eating symptoms, mood symptoms, and parent-child relationship quality, relative to parent/caregiver participants in the wait list control. We will also evaluate whether the children of these parents/caregivers experience improvements in their disordered eating and mood symptoms.

Enhancing Social Connections Among Rural Community Members With Disordered Eating

This study is about testing a short program that uses social support to help people with disordered eating. The goal is to see if this program can help people build better habits and feel better about eating while reducing harmful symptoms. In the long run, this project wants to make it easier for people with eating problems to get help and recover, especially for those in rural areas or other groups who don't often get the care they need. Participants will complete self-report measures online, and complete a digital single-session program.