Guided Self-Help for Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression

Background: Evidence-based self-help is a recommended first stage of treatment for mild-moderate eating disorders. The provision of guidance enhances outcome. The literature evaluating exclusively ‘guided’ self-help (GSH) has not been systematically reviewed. Methods: The aim was to establish the effectiveness of GSH for reducing global eating disorder psychopathology and abstinence from binge eating, compared to controls. Results were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis and heterogeneity explored using meta-regression. Results: Thirty randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Results showed an overall effect of GSH on global eating disorder psychopathology (-0.46) and binge abstinence (-0.20). There was strong evidence for an association between diagnosis of binge eating disorder and binge abstinence. Discussion: Current interventions need to be adapted to address features other than binge eating. Further research is required to help us understand the effectiveness of GSH in children and young people, invariably high drop-out rates and how technology can enhance interventions.