Digital mental health interventions for recurrent binge eating

INTERVENTION: There will be two digital interventions delivered in this trial. The first will be a internet‐based intervention designed to primarily target extreme dietary restraint as the mechanism to reduce binge eating. The internet intervention is composed of 4 sessions. 1. Psycho‐education: information on what dieting means, when it can become harmful, and why it can promote binge eating. 2. Self‐monitoring: the importance of monitoring behaviors, thoughts, and emotions related to food, eating, and dieting 3. Regular eating: participants taught how to adopt a pattern of regular, flexible eating approach. 4. Food exposure: participants are taught how to overcome fear and anxiety around "forbidden" foods. The second digital intervention will be delivered only via a smartphone app. The app is based on transdiagnostic CBT (Fairburn, 2008) in that it is designed to target a range of factors implicated in the maintenance of binge eating (e.g., overvaluation with weight/shape, extreme dietary restraint & mood intolerance). There are also 4 modules to this app: 1. Psychoeducation about binge eating and its cycle 2. Implementing self‐monitoring and regular eating 3. Learning healthy coping strategies through acceptance, mindfulness, and problem solving 4. Building a better body image Each session/module of the two interventions will take around 30‐60 minutes to complete, and participants will be encouraged to practice the strategies taught in each session on a daily basis. Therefore, total time commitment will vary from person to person. Participants will be encouraged to stay on each session for around 7 days prior to moving to the next session, although they will be instructed that they can go at a pace that suits themselves. Th CONDITION: eating disorders;Binge eating; ; eating disorders ; Binge eating Mental Health ‐ Eating disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: Eating disorder psychopathology (global scores from the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire)[Primary time‐point (post‐test) = 4 weeks after randomization. ; Follow‐up time‐point = 8 weeks after randomization.] Objective binge eating frequency over the past 28 days (assessed via a single item from the EDE‐Q).[Primary time‐point (post‐test) = 4 weeks after randomization. ; Follow‐up time‐point = 8 weeks after randomization.] SECONDARY OUTCOME: Anxiety symptoms (PHQ‐2)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Body appreciation (BAS‐2 3‐item version)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Body image flexibility (BIAAQ‐4)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Depressive symptoms (PHQ‐2)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Dietary restraint (EDE‐Q subscale)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Eating concerns (EDE‐Q subscale)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Functionality appreciation (FAS‐7)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] shape concerns (EDE‐Q subscale)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Subjective binge eating frequency (single EDE‐Q item)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] Weight concerns (EDE‐Q subscale)[4 weeks after randomization. ; 8 weeks after randomization.] INCLUSION CRITERIA: Participants must: 1) Be aged 18 years or over 2) Have access to the internet or smartphone 3) Experience the presence of recurrent binge eating, defined as binge eating at least once per fortnight, on average, over the past 3 months via self‐report.