When Bullying Focuses on Weight: Trauma-focused CBT is a Promising Treatment

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine, led by Dr Janet Lydecker, have developed and tested the first psychotherapeutic treatment specifically for victims of weight-related bullying, a demographic that previously had no evidence-based treatments available. Bullying, particularly when focused on weight, can result in severe consequences such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and obesity. Historically, anti-bullying efforts have concentrated on prevention rather than on addressing the trauma experienced by the victims.

Lydecker's study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, involves adapting trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for those who have suffered weight-related bullying. The therapy, dubbed TF-CBT-WB, was tested on 30 adolescents and showed positive results, such as reduced traumatic stress, eating disorder severity, and body image concerns. The approach treats bullying as a form of trauma, which is significant given that such experiences can cause clinical levels of stress in children.

TF-CBT-WB encourages patients to create and revisit a narrative of their bullying experiences, allowing them to identify and correct distorted thoughts and emotions. The results of the study were surprising for Lydecker; she found that the participants had a higher rate of severe eating disorder psychopathology than expected. After three months of weekly TF-CBT-WB sessions, there was a clinically significant reduction in symptoms, suggesting that the therapy may be effective not only for bullying but also for treating eating disorders.

Researchers say the study's results are preliminary, and further research is needed to establish the treatment's efficacy fully. One challenge in assessing the success of TF-CBT-WB is the lack of a comparison group, as no evidence-based treatment for bullying exists. Future studies planned by Lydecker aim to include larger cohorts, longer follow-up periods, and comparisons with standard CBT to evaluate the treatment's long-term effectiveness and to determine which patients may benefit most.

Lydecker emphasizes the importance of addressing the trauma of bullying with professional mental health support, advocating for the need to move beyond the misconception that bullying is a normal part of childhood that can be ignored. The ultimate goal is to make TF-CBT-WB widely available to clinicians and patients, offering a new, effective treatment option for those who have endured bullying.

Read more: Researchers at Yale School of Medicine, led by Dr. Janet Lydecker, have developed and tested the first psychotherapeutic treatment specifically for victims of weight-related bullying, a demographic that previously had no evidence-based treatments available. Bullying, particularly when focused on weight, can result in severe consequences such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, and obesity. Historically, anti-bullying efforts have concentrated on prevention rather than on addressing the trauma experienced by the victims.

Lydecker's study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, involves adapting trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for those who have suffered weight-related bullying. The therapy, dubbed TF-CBT-WB, was tested on 30 adolescents and showed positive results, such as reduced traumatic stress, eating disorder severity, and body image concerns. The approach treats bullying as a form of trauma, which is significant given that such experiences can cause clinical levels of stress in children.

TF-CBT-WB encourages patients to create and revisit a narrative of their bullying experiences, allowing them to identify and correct distorted thoughts and emotions. The results of the study were surprising for Lydecker; she found that the participants had a higher rate of severe eating disorder psychopathology than expected. After three months of weekly TF-CBT-WB sessions, there was a clinically significant reduction in symptoms, suggesting that the therapy may be effective not only for bullying but also for treating eating disorders.

Researchers say the study's results are preliminary, and further research is needed to establish the treatment's efficacy fully. One challenge in assessing the success of TF-CBT-WB is the lack of a comparison group, as no evidence-based treatment for bullying exists. Future studies planned by Lydecker aim to include larger cohorts, longer follow-up periods, and comparisons with standard CBT to evaluate the treatment's long-term effectiveness and to determine which patients may benefit most.

Lydecker emphasizes the importance of addressing the trauma of bullying with professional mental health support, advocating for the need to move beyond the misconception that bullying is a normal part of childhood that can be ignored. The ultimate goal is to make TF-CBT-WB widely available to clinicians and patients, offering a new, effective treatment option for those who have endured bullying.