1. Multi-family therapy for bulimia nervosa in adolescence: a pilot study in a community eating disorder service
- Author
-
Katrina Hunt, Malin Fiskå, Stamatoula Voulgari, Julian Baudinet, Catherine Stewart, Ivan Eisler, Richard Hall, Mima Simic, and Natalie Pretorius
- Subjects
Family therapy ,050103 clinical psychology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Pilot Projects ,behavioral disciplines and activities ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,mental disorders ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Bulimia Nervosa ,Psychiatry ,Service (business) ,Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ,Bulimia nervosa ,05 social sciences ,Cognition ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,030227 psychiatry ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,Clinical Psychology ,Family Therapy ,Psychology ,Binge-Eating Disorder - Abstract
Multi-family therapy for Bulimia Nervosa (MFT-BN) was developed in response to the modest outcomes following both Family Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for adolescents with BN. BN impacts individuals and their family members with high levels of carer stress. MFT-BN targets barriers to treatment including low motivation to change, hostility and criticism, negative affect alongside emotion dysregulation and common comorbidities. MFT-BN enhances treatment, providing a community of support and acquisition of emotional regulation and interpersonal skills. The study describes the clinical characteristics of the group of participants to whom MFT-BN is offered and presents the outcomes of families who have participated in it. Prior to MFT-BN, adolescents who received it were more likely to have self-harmed and had elevated levels of eating disordered cognitions than those who did not receive MFT-BN. Following MFT-BN, parents report decreases in the negative experiences of caregiving and in their own symptoms of anxiety. Adolescents report reductions in anxiety and depression alongside improvement in emotion regulation. Improvements in symptoms of eating disorders include reductions in eating disorder cognitions and modest reductions in binge and purge symptoms after 14 weeks of treatment. Adolescents who participated in MFT-BN were less likely to drop out of outpatient treatment.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF