The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Quality of Life Among Women with Overweight and Binge Eating Disorder: A Clinical Trial

Researches have shown that overweight is associated with an increased risk of eating disorders and consequently, leads to a decreased quality of life.. Therefore, the treatment that targets both overweight and eating disorders is vital. So, This study was designed to determine the effect of dialectical behavior therapy on quality of life in women with overweight and binge eating disorder. In this trial study, the study population consisted of all women diagnosed with obesity, overweight and binge eating disorder in Kashan, Iran in 2015. 60 women were selected through convenience sampling and assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 20 sessions dialectical behavior therapy in 10 weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. Subjects in both groups were evaluated for quality of life with WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire before and after intervention. Then data was analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The mean and standard deviation of the experimental group was 29.82±7.91 and for the control group  31.47±7.22 (p=0.340). The results of ANCOVA revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of quality of life in posttest (p<0.001). According to the results, it seems that dialectical behavior therapy with changing life style, improving interpersonal relationships, emotion regulation strategies and distress tolerance and mindfulness, can be suggested as an effective and complementary psychological intervention in binge eater in order to improve their quality of life.