An evaluation of lived experience email peer support for young people with eating disorders

Fiona Duffy*, Imogen Peebles, Sarah J Taylor, Sophie Brassill, Beth Hughes, Helen Sharpe

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Peer support is where individuals with the same shared experience provide mutual support. Using a non-controlled repeated measure design, this study evaluates initial efficacy of one-to-one email peer support. Young people with an eating disorder were matched with a recovered volunteer befriender, for up to one year, providing 1-3 email contacts a week. All participants completed measures (self-esteem, self-efficacy, wellbeing) at start of service, two and four-month intervals for recipients (n=92) and peer befrienders (n=86) respectively, and at end of service. Recipients also completed measures of social connectedness, impact of eating disorder, and goal-based outcomes. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models indicated significant improvements across all outcomes for recipients by 4 months, apart from self-esteem, and improvements self-efficacy, eating disorder impact and goal-based outcomes maintained at end of service. Peer befrienders did not show changes in self-esteem or self-efficacy, but there was a small significant reduction in wellbeing. The study provides evidence for email peer support for young people with eating disorders and highlights the need for robust support for befriending roles.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalEating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention
Early online date3 Feb 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 3 Feb 2025

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • eating disorders
  • adolescent
  • peer support
  • digital

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