Effectiveness of Group Compassion Therapy on Improving Symptoms and Quality of Life in Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorders are one of the most common psychological disorders in recent years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group compassion therapy on improving symptoms and quality of life in bulimia nervosa.

For this purpose, among the people with this disorder who referred to psychiatric and psychological clinics in Mashhad, 24 people were selected voluntarily and were randomly assigned in to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received group compassion therapy in 8 sessions of 1.5 hours and the control group did not receive any intervention. The dependent variables were measured twice in pretest and post test. The Binge Eating Scale and the Quality of Life Questionnaire were used to measure the variables.

Data analysis using univariate analysis of covariance showed that by controlling the effects of pretest, group compassion therapy had a significant effect on improving symptoms and quality of life of people with this disorder.

The present study shows that group compassion therapy can be used as an appropriate and cost-effective treatment for people with bulimia and psychological problems associated with bulimia disorder.