ABSTRACT
A rapidly growing body of research suggests that both eating disorders (ED) and ED risk factors (e.g., body dissatisfaction) are prevalent in middle-aged and older adults; yet, the majority of these individuals do not seek treatment for these symptoms. For those who do present for treatment, limited research exists to guide tailoring of evidence-based ED treatments that largely were developed for younger populations to meet the needs of middle-aged and older adults. As common aging-related life changes experienced by middle-aged and older adults may trigger or exacerbate ED pathology, strategies to address such life changes are provided. Thus, the primary aim of this chapter is to provide clinicians with strategies to address the needs of middle-aged and older adult patients. Given the limited literature on treatment of EDs in older populations that can be used to guide recommendations, we include general suggestions for tailoring evidence-based psychological interventions for older populations. Finally, we present our process of modifying a small-group, dissonance-based body image intervention for middle-aged and older adults as a case example of applying these recommended intervention-tailoring strategies.
