Study of the Efficacy of a Christian-based Inpatient Hospital for Treating Eating Disorders, Depression, and Spiritual Distress

<p><em>Problem</em> . Outcome studies continue to indicate that a substantial proportion of individuals with eating disorders have a dangerously limited response to treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if a Christian cognitive-behavioral-based inpatient hospital that specializes in eating disorders was an effective program for treating eating disorders. Next, this study sought to determine if this inpatient hospital was effective in treating both depression and spiritual distress. Finally, this study examined the relationship between depression and spiritual distress with treatment outcome.</p> <p><em>Method</em> . Five hundred and eighty-two patients were admitted to an inpatient hospital between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000. Four hundred and fifty-one patients provided useable data. Participants completed the BeckDepression Inventory-II at admission and discharge, the Remuda Ranch Spiritual Inventory at admission and discharge, and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 at admission, discharge, and 1-year post-discharge.</p> <p><em>Results</em> . A multivariate repeated measure analysis of variance indicated that eating disorder symptomatology was significantly reduced. Two separate paired <em>t</em> -tests suggested that mean depression and spiritual distress scores were significantly reduced. Three separate regression analyses provided evidence that depression and spiritual distress significantly accounted for some of the variance in eating disorder symptomatology.</p> <p><em>Conclusions</em> . Results indicated that a Christian-based inpatient hospital can be an effective treatment milieu for rducing eating disorder symptomatology, depression, and spiritual distress. Results also provided evidence that depression and spiritual distress are correlated with treatment outcome.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.

Year

2002

Author dc:creator

• Darden, Robert Alan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Frederick A. Kosinski, Jr.
• Jimmy Kijai
• Nancy Carbonell

• Counseling Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/316

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.andrews.edu:dissertations-1315