Short-term intensive family therapy for adolescent eating disorders: 30-month outcome

TY - JOUR

T1 - Short-term intensive family therapy for adolescent eating disorders

T2 - 30-month outcome

AU - Marzola, Enrica

AU - Knatz, Stephanie

AU - Murray, Stuart B.

AU - Rockwell, Roxanne

AU - Boutelle, Kerri

AU - Eisler, Ivan

AU - Kaye, Walter H.

PY - 2015/5/1

Y1 - 2015/5/1

N2 - Family therapy approaches have generated impressive empirical evidence in the treatment of adolescent eating disorders (EDs). However, the paucity of specialist treatment providers limits treatment uptake; therefore, our group developed the intensive family therapy (IFT) - a 5-day treatment based on the principles of family-based therapy for EDs. We retrospectively examined the long-term efficacy of IFT in both single-family (S-IFT) and multi-family (M-IFT) settings evaluating 74 eating disordered adolescents who underwent IFT at the University of California, San Diego, between 2006 and 2013. Full remission was defined as normal weight (≥95% of expected for sex, age, and height), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) global score within 1 SD of norms, and absence of binge-purging behaviours. Partial remission was defined as weight ≥85% of expected or ≥95% but with elevated EDE-Q global score and presence of binge-purging symptoms (<1/week). Over a mean follow-up period of 30 months, 87.8% of participants achieved either full (60.8%) or partial remission (27%), while 12.2% reported a poor outcome, with both S-IFT and M-IFT showing comparable outcomes. Short-term, intensive treatments may be cost-effective and clinically useful where access to regular specialist treatment is limited.

AB - Family therapy approaches have generated impressive empirical evidence in the treatment of adolescent eating disorders (EDs). However, the paucity of specialist treatment providers limits treatment uptake; therefore, our group developed the intensive family therapy (IFT) - a 5-day treatment based on the principles of family-based therapy for EDs. We retrospectively examined the long-term efficacy of IFT in both single-family (S-IFT) and multi-family (M-IFT) settings evaluating 74 eating disordered adolescents who underwent IFT at the University of California, San Diego, between 2006 and 2013. Full remission was defined as normal weight (≥95% of expected for sex, age, and height), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) global score within 1 SD of norms, and absence of binge-purging behaviours. Partial remission was defined as weight ≥85% of expected or ≥95% but with elevated EDE-Q global score and presence of binge-purging symptoms (<1/week). Over a mean follow-up period of 30 months, 87.8% of participants achieved either full (60.8%) or partial remission (27%), while 12.2% reported a poor outcome, with both S-IFT and M-IFT showing comparable outcomes. Short-term, intensive treatments may be cost-effective and clinically useful where access to regular specialist treatment is limited.

KW - anorexia nervosa

KW - eating disorders

KW - family therapy

KW - intensive family therapy

KW - multi-family therapy

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927755737&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/erv.2353

DO - 10.1002/erv.2353

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84927755737

SN - 1072-4133

VL - 23

SP - 210

EP - 218

JO - European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association

JF - European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association

IS - 3

ER -