Objective: To study the effect of clearly defined and decisive parental interventions at the start of treatment of restrictive eating disorders (ED) in adolescents.
Method: Forty-seven adolescents with ED (anorexia nervosa = 6, bulimia nervosa = 1, EDNOS = 40) and their families participated. Parents were advised to (1) keep the adolescent home from school, (2) eat all meals together with the adolescent, (3) prevent any form of exercise, and (4) prevent vomiting during the first week of treatment. Weight change was followed up to three months and EDE-Q administered at start of treatment and at three months.
Results: Thirty (64%) of the families accomplished all four interventions during the first week of treatment. Their adolescents gained ∼ 1 kg of weight at one week, 2 kg at one month, and 4 kg at three months while adolescents in families who did not accomplish all four interventions gained only 1.4 kg up to three months. Scores on the EDE-Q decreased during treatment and in adolescents of families who accomplished all four interventions they were in the range of a reference population.
Discussion: Decisive parental management of eating disturbed behaviors at the start of treatment of adolescents with ED promotes later clinical outcome. The finding supports the view that family based therapies are effective in adolescent ED. Results has to be followed up for evaluation of the long term effects of this type of intervention.
Keywords: adolescent; eating disorder; family-based treatment.
© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.