Home treatment as an add-on to family-based treatment in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A pilot study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

This pilot study examines the feasibility and the effectiveness of add-on home treatment (HT) to family-based treatment (FBT) in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). The HT intervention is delivered by specialised nurses and aims at supporting patients and parents to re-establish family meals in the home environment.

METHOD

We performed a 3-month study in AN patients with a waiting-list control design comparing 45 (43 females, 2 males) adolescents receiving FBT augmented with HT compared to 22 (21 females, 1 male) participants receiving FBT alone on the waiting list for additional HT. Eating disorder diagnosis, psychopathology and severity of clinical symptoms were assessed using the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview, the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-2) and clinical parameters (BMI, menstrual status, level of over-exercising) at baseline and after 3 months.

RESULTS

After 3 months of treatment, both treatment groups showed a significant early weight gain, a reduction in the rate of AN diagnoses assessed with the EDE interview and a reduction in EDI-2 total scores. The combined HT/FBT group showed a significantly greater increase in BMI than the FBT-only group. In the combined HT/FBT group, none of the patients had to be admitted to hospital, while three (13.6%) of the FBT-only group had to be referred to inpatient treatment.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest that HT augmented FBT might be useful compared to FBT alone in terms of early weight gain and might reduce the risk of hospital admission in adolescent AN.