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Investigation of Multi-Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa

NCT06203418 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 200

Last updated 2026-04-30

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The proposed project is an intensive multi family therapy (MFT) intervention involving patients with anorexia nervosa and their families. MFT interventions are informed from the principles of the family based treatment (FBT)/family therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (FT-AN) models. This program will offer families in vivo/virtual support while connecting with other families to increase knowledge of eating disorders and develop skills related to successfully supporting their adolescent during difficult times, including meal support and affect regulation. Our objective is to explore the influence of the MFT intervention on the primary outcome measures in eating disorder treatment, including weight, expressed emotion and eating disorder symptomatology.

Conditions

  • Anorexia Nervosa

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Multi-Family Therapy

Multi family therapy for anorexia nervosa (MFT-AN) draws on the same principles as FBT but is delivered in a more intensive format to help families to overcome a sense of isolation and stigmatization and to maximize their own resources. In the case of eating disorders, this program utilizes FBT principles (both approaches are guided by the family-based treatment philosophy, which stresses the impact of ED on family functioning and attempts to mobilize families as the primary agents of change in achieving recovery), and also utilizes learning from structural, systemic, strategic, narrative, and psychodrama-based family therapy practices,(Knatz et al., 2015). Generally between 5-7 families take part in MFT, sharing their experiences, learning by example, and providing support for one another. Study will utilize virtual adaptation of manualized treatment published by Simic et al 2021

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield

    collaborator OTHER

  • University of Illinois at Chicago

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
11 Years
Max Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-05-21
Primary Completion
2024-12-30
Completion
2026-12-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06203418 on ClinicalTrials.gov