UNSTRUCTURED
Background: Access to psychological healthcare is extremely difficult, especially for individuals suffering from severely stigmatized disorders such as eating disorders (ED). There has been an increase in children, adolescents, and adults suffering from ED symptoms and ED, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. Online self-help platforms allow people to bridge the treatment gap and receive support when in-person treatment is unavailable or not preferred. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first systematic review evaluating the efficacy of solely online self-help platforms.
Aim: This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online self-help platforms for EDs
Method: The proposed systematic review will follow the guidelines for the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The review has been registered to PROSPERO with the registration number: CRD42024520866. This review will report and evaluate the literature concerning the efficacy of self-help platforms for EDs. Two independent authors will utilize the search terms to conduct the initial search. The collated articles will then be screened by their titles and abstracts, and finally, full-text screenings will be conducted. The results will be discussed, and the final report will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Data extraction will be conducted and included studies will undergo narrative synthesis.
PROSPERO registration: CRD42024520866