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Evaluation of family treatments in adolescent anorexia nervosa: A pilot study
Author(s) -
Le Grange Daniel,
Eisler Ivan,
Dare Christopher,
Russell Gerald F. M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199212)12:4<347::aid-eat2260120402>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , family therapy , psychology , psychiatry , psychotherapist , eating disorders , clinical psychology
In the search for more effective methods of psychological treatment in anorexia nervosa, there are a number of controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of different forms of treatment. Previous studies have shown that family therapy is the superior treatment for patients with an early onset and short duration of illness. In order to assess the impact and the effective components of family therapy, we conducted a pilot trial in which consecutive referrals of anorexia nervosa patients were randomly assigned to one of two forms of family treatment: family therapy (conjoint family sessions) or family counselling (separate supportive sessions for the patient and counselling for the parents). Changes taking place within the patient and the family were evaluated at regular intervals, while within and between group comparisons were made. Although tentative, it was found that, in the short term, there were few differences in terms of symptomatic relief between the two treatment groups. © 1992 john Wiley & Sons, Inc.