Effects of Shared Decision Making Model-Based Guided Self-Help Program on Emotional Eating and Uncontrolled Eating Behavior in Individuals with a Severe Mental Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The study was aimed at determining the effectiveness of the Shared Decision Making Model-based Guided Self-Help Program (SDM-GSH) on emotional eating behavior and uncontrolled eating behavior in individuals with a severe mental disorder.

Method: This randomized controlled experimental study was conducted in the Community Mental Health Center of a university hospital between September 2020 and November 2022. The sample of the study consisted of 64 participants. Of them, 33 were in the Experimental Group and 31 were in the control group. To collect the study data, the Patient Information Form, Emotional Eater Questionnaire, and Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire were administered. The participants in the Experimental Group took part in the SDM-GSH. The study data were collected from the participants in the Experimental and Control Groups before, right after and 6 months after the intervention.

Results: The comparison of the BMI values of the participants with a severe mental disorder who took part in the SDM-GSH demonstrated that their pre-intervention BMI values significantly decreased at the measurements preformed right after and 6 months after the intervention ( < 0.05). The mean emotional eating (λ = 0.189, η2 = 0.811) and uncontrolled eating (λ = 0.218, η2 = 0.782) scores obtained by the participants in the Experimental Group before the intervention significantly decreased at the measurements preformed right after and 6 months after the intervention ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, it is concluded that the SDM-GSH positively affected the BMI values, emotional eating behaviors and uncontrolled eating behaviors of the participants with a severe mental disorder.