Benefits of a mentoring support program for individuals with an eating disorder: a proof of concept pilot program

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this proof-of-concept pilot study was to assess the usefulness of a mentoring support program with a goal to improve hope for recovery in people with an eating disorder. RESULTS: Significant improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in hope for recovery were found for the mentees in the following domains: social relationships (p = 0.027), romantic relationships (p = 0.032), family life (p = 0.047), work (0.003) and overall scores (p = 0.003). There were no significant findings for any of the areas for the mentors. Despite this, mentoring programs that focus on improving hope may provide a valuable adjunct support for those in treatment for an eating disorder. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-3026-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.