Clinical Trial: Effectiveness of the ECHOs Approach for Patients With Eating Disorders and Their Carers

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Effectiveness of the Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHOs) Approach for Patients With Eating Disorders and Their Carers

Brief Summary: Family therapy is considered an empirically supported treatment approach for adolescents and adults with eating disorders. One family based approach, Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO) is based on evidence that suggests family environment, e.g., carer criticism, can influence an individual's eating disorder symptoms. ECHO aims to improve carer coping, reduce expressed emotion and manage eating disorder symptoms, and has been associated with reduced carer distress, caregiver burden, and an increase in general well being. The current pilot study seeks to evaluate a new condensed version of the ECHO intervention that is delivered entirely in a 2 ½ hour self-help DVD format (ECHOs). Sixty patients and their carers will be recruited from the Capital Health Eating Disorders Service and randomized into either a treatment as usual group (TAU) or a TAU+ECHOs group. Both carers and patients will be assessed along a variety of dimensions including psychiatric symptoms, family functioning, and carer and patient collaboration, at pre-intervention, four weeks later at post-intervention, and then three-months post-intervention. ANOVAs will be used to compare the primary outcomes between the two groups over time. This pilot study will be the first evaluation of ECHOs, which may ultimately boost the efficacy of current treatment for adults with eating disorders and reduce carer distress.

Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: Nova Scotia Health Authority

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Changes in Carer and Patient Collaboration Scale (CPCS). [ Time Frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up ]
    A scale to assess self efficacy in caregiving, specifically tailored to measure the skills taught in the ECHOs intervention. This scale will assess changes from baseline to post-internvention in caregiver efficacy.
  • Changes in Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders (SEED) [ Time Frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up ]
    This measure will asssess changes in the severity of key anorexic and bulimic symptoms from baseline to post-treatment, and follow-up.


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Depression, Stress and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21) [ Time Frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up ]
    a measure of severity of anxiety, depression and stress pre- to post-treatment
  • The Family Questionnaire (FQ) [ Time Frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up ]
    20-item self report measure of expressed emotion in carers. Scores are given on a 4-point Likert scale and will measure the levels of expressed emotion from pre-intervention to post-intervention.


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Nova Scotia Health Authority

Dates:
Date Received: August 15, 2013
Date Started: April 2014
Date Completion: April 2017
Last Updated: August 4, 2016
Last Verified: August 2016