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Table 47 Multi-family therapy during inpatient treatment versus multi-parent therapy during inpatient treatment for children and adolescents with eating disorders

From: Canadian practice guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders

Certainty assessment

Impact

Certainty

Importance

№ of studies

Study design

Risk of bias

Inconsistency

Indirectness

Imprecision

Other considerations

Change in eating disorder symptomatology (assessed with: Pre/post EDI-2)

 1

Case Control

serious a

not serious

not serious

not serious

none

One study with total 112 patients (MFT = 62 and MPT = 50). Intervention took place during inpatient multimodal treatment. Both MPT and MFT interventions “promoted an autonomy-supportive parental attitude and the adolescents’ autonomy and self-determination.” Parents were encouraged to “create the conditions supporting their daughters’ autonomy in establishing healthy eating at home to indirectly increase their daughters’ motivation”. Group format was one introductory 3-h session followed by five 2-h sessions every 2 weeks. Measures were taken pre/post the intervention. Patients were not randomized, but rather allocation to MFT vs MPT depended on time of admission. Results reported a main effect of time for drive for thinness (p < 0.001) and body dissatisfaction (p < 0.001) as measured by EDI-2. Both scales improved independent of type of intervention.

VERY LOW

IMPORTANT

Change in EDI score

 1

Case series

very serious a

not serious

not serious

not serious

none

One case series describing the addition of Family-Oriented Group Therapy to an inpatient sample of 32 adolescent patients (29 with AN, 3 with BN). Improvements in EDI scores were noted.

VERY LOW

IMPORTANT

  1. Explanations
  2. aDue to design, no blinding possible
  3. Bibliography:
  4. Case Control - Depestele 2017 [236]
  5. Case Series – Salbach 2006 [237]