The Importance of Social Exchange for Internet-based Eating Disorder Prevention

Abstract

The Importance of Social Exchange for Internet-based Eating Disorder Prevention Internet-based interventions have the potential to complement routine care mental health services. Yet, dissemination and implementation into routine care is challenging and often fails. From a public health point of view, facilitating access to care and dissemination of prevention have great potential to reduce eating disorder related suffering in the general population. In order to exploit that potential effective strategies to involve users in internet-based prevention are of utmost importance. User-behaviors of N = 980 predominantly female (80 %) participants with an average age of 19.4 years (SD = 7.0) of an internet-based intervention for the prevention of eating disorders (ProYouth) were analyzed. Specifically, differences in users' pathways between early and late phases of participation were compared in order to identify patterns of program utilization that are associated with elevated adherence. During their first login, users explore all modules of the platform. Enduring participation is characterized by increased usage of the modules that offer social exchange with other participants, i. e. the forums and the chat. Static modules, e. g., psychoeducation, are rarely accessed after the first login. Additionally, enduring users were more often female, older, and displayed higher levels of psychological impairment (ps < .001). The results support the relevance of social exchange for the adherence in internet-based interventions for the prevention of eating disorders.