The effectiveness of educational interventions in reducing negative attitudes and stigmatisation toward patients with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

INTERVENTION: Researchers will pilot two differing educational interventions on fourth year medicine students. One intervention will provide traditional educational information on anorexia nervosa (i.e., emphasising the influence of multiple factors in the development of anorexia nervosa). The second intervention will have a stronger biological and genetic focus, providing more emphasis on the biological and genetic contributions and maintaining factors to anorexia nervosa. Both interventions will go for approximately 1‐1.5 hours (in a lecture style class) once over an eight week rotation (i.e., one intervention will be piloted in the first eight week rotation, the second intervention will be piloted in the next eight week rotation, and the control group the last eight week rotation). CONDITION: Anorexia Nervosa PRIMARY OUTCOME: Mean score on the Characteristics and Affective Reaction Scales (Penn et al., 1994) Mean scores on the four subscales of the Eating Disorder Stigma Scale (Crisafulli et al., 2010) Mean scores on the three subscales of the Causal attributions Scale (Crisafulli et al., 2008; Stewart et al., 2006). SECONDARY OUTCOME: Mean scores on the two subscales of the Opinions Scale (Crisp et al., 2005). INCLUSION CRITERIA: Medicine student (fourth year) No self‐reported history of anorexia nervosa, as indicated by the Holmes et al. (1999) Level of Contact Report.