Can Narrative Bibliotherapy Reduce Vulnerability to Eating Disorders? Evidence from a Reading Experiment

Abstract

No research has yet experimentally evaluated the role of narrative fiction in relation to eating disorders (EDs). This study used a between-participants design to assess vulnerability to EDs before and after reading two contemporary U.S. young adult sports novels. ED vulnerability was measured using the EAT-26 and a tailored questionnaire. The experimental group ( n = 32) received the books with text-specific reading guides. The control group ( n = 33) received only the novels. Our hypothesis was that post-reading measures would be lower (improved) in both groups, but more markedly in the experimental group. Scores were typically lower in the experimental group and higher in the control group, but these differences were not statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. These findings underline the need to expand empirical evidence on the effects of narrative reading in the context of EDs, while the innovative methods trialed here open up new methodological avenues.