SynthesisThe International journal of eating disorders2025
Efficacy of Eating Disorder Focused Family Therapy for Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in The International journal of eating disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effectiveness of Psychological Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescents: A Critical Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of neuromodulation interventions on the eating behaviors of patients with eating disorders compared to healthy controls, sham therapies, and other therapeutic approaches: A systematic review.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025Pooled it
- Examining Comorbid Psychopathology Symptoms as Predictors of Family Based Treatment for Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa and Atypical Anorexia Nervosa in a Real-World Setting.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- Changes in Parental Well-Being Following Intensive Day Programme Treatment for Restrictive Eating Disorders in Adolescents.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- Eating Disorder Focused Family Therapy with Autistic Children and Young People: A Narrative Review of Recent Developments.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- A bibliometric analysis of eating disorders in adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Investigation of virtual multi-family therapy for adolescent anorexia nervosa: feasibility and acceptability.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Validity of an AI-Assisted Dietary Recording Application for Family-Based Nutritional Management in Young Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Development of a generative AI agent for family support in implementing family-based treatment for children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Recent developments in treatments for eating disorders.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026Review
- Family-based therapy for eating disorders: from the Milan model to contemporary evidence.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2026Review
- Clinician knowledge and perceptions of evidence-based practice in pediatric eating disorders in Western Canada.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Intensive community and home-based treatments for eating disorders: a scoping review.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Review
- What factors do parents/caregivers think impact change in family therapy for anorexia nervosa?: a qualitative study.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- The Meta-Analytic Evidence Is In-Time to Get on and Improve Our Treatments.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Family life and caregiving during family-based treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa: parent, patient, and clinician perspectives.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- A pilot study investigating the acceptability and feasibility of a group intervention for parents of autistic young people with anorexia nervosa within a specialist eating disorders service.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Psychometric evaluation of the 'Caregiver Factors Influencing Treatment' (Care-FIT) Inventory for child and adolescent eating disorders.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Clinicians' Experiences of Eating Disorder Focused Family Therapy With Autistic Young People.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Article
- Advancements in Family-Based Treatment of Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa: A Review of Access Barriers and Telehealth Solutions.Nutrients · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo systematically review and evaluate the efficacy of eating disorder focused family therapy (FT-ED) in comparison to all other forms of psychotherapy for children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa. A secondary aim is to assess the relative efficacy of different variations of FT-ED (e.g., shorter vs. longer dose, parent-focused).
methodsA search with relevant terms was systematically conducted on four databases. Twenty-three publications across 18 randomized controlled trials met inclusion criteria. Outcomes of interest included variables related to weight, eating psychopathology, and remission status. Study quality was assessed, and data were extracted by two independent researchers.
resultsAdolescents receiving FT-ED gained significantly more weight by the end of treatment in comparison to those receiving individual psychotherapy. FT-ED that was delivered just to parents or to parents and child separately offered preferable weight outcomes and rates of recovery at the end of treatment in comparison to conjoint FT-ED. No other outcomes tested in the meta-analysis were statistically significant at the end of treatment or follow-up. DISCUSSION: Currently available data suggest the use of FT-ED in its conjoint or separated/parent focused format is the best outpatient treatment option for adolescents with anorexia nervosa when immediate weight gain is paramount. The variability of outcome measurement, including the tools used and timepoints chosen, limit comparison among no more than a handful of studies. The field would benefit from the standardization of measurement and reporting guidelines for future clinical trials.
trial registrationPROSPERO number: CRD42023396263.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.