Family Treatment for Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa
Condition: Anorexia Nervosa; Subthreshold Anorexia Nervosa; Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, Primarily Restriction
MeSH terms: Anorexia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Anorexia Nervosa
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      This treatment development study seeks to investigate the most effective way to treat an
      adolescent's eating disorder and how best to involve the parents or caregivers in this
      process.

      Typically, parents and their child are seen together in therapy. However, this can sometimes
      be difficult for both the parents and the adolescent. Both parents and adolescents have
      different concerns and are struggling with different aspects of the eating disorder.
      Therefore, the treatment in this study involves the parents in treatment, but the majority of
      therapy sessions are conducted with the parent(s) and adolescent separately.

      Participants meet with a therapist for 20 sessions over the course of 24 weeks. For the first
      16 weeks parents and the adolescent meet individually with the therapist. For the last 8
      weeks families meet with the therapist every other week. These last four sessions are
      conjoint - that is, adolescents and parents will meet with the therapist together. This is to
      help parents and adolescents come together as a family to continue to aid the adolescent in
      the treatment of his/her eating disorder.

      The investigators hypothesize that adolescents who receive this treatment will demonstrate
      improvement in eating disorder symptoms and body-mass index and that caregivers who
      participate will demonstrate decreased distress and caregiver burden. Furthermore, the
      investigators hypothesize that increases in psychological acceptance will be seen for both
      adolescents and caregivers post-treatment, and that treatment will be viewed as both credible
      and acceptable to both caregiver and adolescent.
    

Detailed description: 
      The purpose of this study is to develop and gather preliminary data on an acceptance-based
      behavioral treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) that is delivered in a
      separated family format. The treatment will combine a parent's skills curriculum that has
      demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in the treatment of AN, with a novel adolescent
      component based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT has been found to be useful
      in the treatment of an array of psychological difficulties, and may be particularly
      well-suited for the cognitive and behavioral avoidance and rigidity that characterizes
      individuals with AN and their caregivers.
    

Intervention name(s): Acceptance-based separated family treatment
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Family treatment that combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for the adolescent with Parent Skills Training for caregivers. The treatment package is designed to increase willingness to experience difficult thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations in order to engage in effective behavior. To facilitate this, caregivers are provided with psychoeducation on eating disorders and skills in behavior management, self-regulation, and emotion regulation.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Anorexia Nervosa; Adolescents; Family Treatment; Eating Disorder; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy