The Peer-Delivered "Mind. Body. Voice." Program for High School Women (Mbv) - Remote

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Peer-Delivered "Mind. Body. Voice." Eating Disorder Prevention Program Among High School Women - Remote

This study will evaluate the impact of a program (called mind. body. voice. or "mbv") that was collaboratively designed by youth, educators, and researchers, informed by the Body Project (Becker et al., 2013; Stice et al., 2019), Youth Participatory Action Research, an extended co-design process, and previous iterations of the mbv program. The study evaluates the impact of the mbv program on key aspects of mental health and well-being; specifically, body image and disordered eating symptoms, identity and agency, social and self-constructs, physical health and mood at three time points over the course of the 10-week program, which will be offered remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will be recruited from high schools and will be randomized to receive the mbv program or an assessment-only control group.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric condition and are the second leading cause of mental health disability among young women. Given that eating disorders have their peak onset during adolescence (ages 16-19), prevention efforts among adolescent women are critical in order to avert the onset of these chronic and disabling disorders. The mbv program targets body image and appearance related pressures, awareness of body sensations, and agency and community building skills. The program consists of 10 weekly sessions and is delivered by peer facilitators. This study will implement and evaluate the mbv program at the high school level in order to examine the extent to which the program influences young women's mental health and well-being, particularly related to eating disorder risk factors and symptoms. Utilizing a randomized controlled trial, the study seeks to address the following aims: To examine the impact of the mbv program on key aspects of mental health and well-being; specifically, body image and disordered eating symptoms, identity and agency, social and self- constructs, physical health and mood among participating high school women. To explore young women's experiences of participating in the program, including strengths and limitations and perspectives on specific activities.

The mbv program consists of 10 weekly sessions that include a variety of practices, including: cognitive dissonance exercises, contemplative practices, guided discussion and community building.

Self-report measure of body appreciation (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of appreciation)

Self-report measure of values-based living (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of living based on values)

Self-report measure of somatic awareness (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of somatic awareness)

Self-report measure of sense of contributing to society (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of contribution)

Self-report measure of sociocultural pressures related to appearance (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of pressure)

Self-report measure of internalized appearance ideals in the media (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of internalization)

Self-report measure of internalization of ideal body stereotypes (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of internalization)

Self-report measure of compassion for oneself (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of self-compassion)

Self-report measure of sense of anticipated (baseline) and experienced (follow-up) belonging with intervention program group (scale 1-7 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belonging)

Self-report measure of influence of peers on appearance concerns (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of peer influence)

Self-report measure of dieting behavior and restricted eating (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of dieting and restriction)

Self-report measure of body dissatisfaction (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of dissatisfaction

Self-report measure of body monitoring and surveillance (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of body surveillance)

Self-report measure of how much one likes oneself and considers oneself competent (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of self-liking and self-competence

Self-report measure of effectiveness in handling challenges and achieving goals (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of self-efficacy)

Self-report measure of general sense of belonging (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of belonging)

Self-report measure of ability to succeed (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of proactive coping)

Self-report measure of disordered eating behaviors (scale 1-6 with higher scores indicating higher levels of disordered eating)

Self-report measure of engagement with schoolwork and belonging in school (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of engagement and belonging)

Self-report measure of health outcomes such as sleep and physical symptoms (scale 1-7 with higher scores indicating higher levels of health symptoms)

Self-report measure of positive and negative affect (scale 1-6 with higher scores indicating higher affect levels)

Self-report measure of depression (scale 1-4 with higher scores indicating higher levels of depression)

Self-report measure of loneliness (scale 1-4 with higher scores indicating higher levels of loneliness)

Self-report measure of agreement with humanitarian and egalitarian values (scale 1-5 with higher scores indicating higher levels of agreement)

Inclusion Criteria: High school women, grades 9-12 Exclusion Criteria: Prior participation in the Body Project or mind. body. voice. RCT