Clinical Trial: Family Therapy for Adolescent Bulimia Nervosa

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Family Therapy for Adolescent Bulimia Nervosa: A Controlled Comparison

Brief Summary:

The primary hypotheses are:

  • A procedurally distinct family therapy is an effective and essential way to reduce bingeing and purging in adolescents with BN, and leads to the long-term amelioration of bulimic symptoms.
  • Family therapy is an effective way to bring about meaningful improvements in family interaction.
  • Family therapy will produce significantly larger reductions in bulimic symptoms and improved family interaction in adolescents with BN compared to a control supportive psychotherapy.

Detailed Summary:

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a disabling eating disorder and affects as many as 2% of young women. It is a major source of psychiatric and medical morbidity that often impairs several areas of functioning. Even more alarming is the fact that BN is occurring with increasing frequency among adolescents and preadolescents. Applying stringent diagnostic criteria for BN, studies have found 2-5% of adolescent girls surveyed qualify for diagnosis of BN. Research specific to treatment of child and adolescent eating disorders remains limited. No psychological treatment has been systematically evaluated in the treatment of adolescents with BN. However, a series of studies from the Maudsley Hospital in London have shown that family therapy (the 'Maudsley Approach') is effective in the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). These studies have shown that involving the parents and siblings in treatment has beneficial effects on reversing the course of the eating disorder as well as improving family interaction. A preliminary report from the Maudsley group has also shown that the 'Maudsley Approach' may be helpful in the treatment of adolescents with BN. Because most young adolescents still live with their families of origin, this raises the interesting clinical question that adolescent BN patients can also be successfully treated with family therapy.

The proposed study has two specific aims:

  1. To adapt and pilot a recently developed family therapy manual for adolescent AN for use in the treatment of adolescent BN patients.
  2. To compare the efficacy of this conceptually and procedurally distinct family therapy treatment with individual control psychotherapy.

To achieve these aims, we propose a five-year control
Sponsor: University of Chicago

Current Primary Outcome: Binge eating and purging frequency measured by the Eating Disorder Examination [ Time Frame: 28 days ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome: EDE Subscales [ Time Frame: 28 days ]

Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: University of Chicago

Dates:
Date Received: August 17, 2007
Date Started: April 2001
Date Completion:
Last Updated: September 4, 2013
Last Verified: September 2013