Smart Technology for Anorexia Nervosa Recovery

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Anorexia Nervosa

In brief

Anorexia nervosa (AN) has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with a typical onset in adolescence. Although family-based interventions are efficacious for up to 75 percent of adolescents with AN, approximately 30 percent will relapse after recovery. There is a critical need to improve treatments and prevent post-discharge relapse following acute treatment to improve outcomes for adolescents with AN. To address this critical need, the investigators developed an adaptive smart-phone based therapy support tool for teens with AN, called Smart Treatment for Anorexia Recovery (STAR). STAR is for adolescents between the ages of 13-21 who recently received acute treatment for AN (e.g., inpatient, residential, intensive outpatient, or day hospital) who are currently working with an outpatient therapist. STAR incorporates elements from the Unified Protocol and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to target emotion avoidance, which the investigators hypothesize will lead to reductions in eating-disorder behaviors. The investigators will compare STAR to Present-focused Anorexia Nervosa Coping Treatment (PACT), which focuses on current life stressors and problems. The investigators' hypothesis is that STAR will improve outpatient treatment response and reduce relapse in adolescents discharged from intensive treatment for AN. The investigators will evaluate their hypotheses in two conditions: 1) STAR app and 2) PACT app. In both conditions, participants must be working with an individual outpatient therapist.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05190926

Run by

University of Kansas

People needed

90

Starts

2023-05-08

Expected to finish

2024-06-30

Last updated by the study team

2023-07-11

Who can join

Age: 13 and older, up to 21. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 13 to 21
• Able to read and speak fluent English
• Access to a smartphone
• Received acute treatment for anorexia nervosa or atypical anorexia nervosa [residential, inpatient, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient program (IOP)] within the past three months
• Currently receiving weekly outpatient treatment (or planning to start outpatient treatment) for current anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa, or past anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa (e.g., anorexia nervosa in partial remission).

You may not qualify if…

• Uncorrected visual impairments that would prevent smartphone use
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Medical condition that affects appetite or weight (e.g., thyroid disorder, diabetes, cancer, pregnancy)
• Current psychotic disorder or substance use disorder
• BMI-z < 14 or lab abnormalities indicating medical instability
• Unwillingness for data to be shared with outpatient therapist

Where it is running

• University of Kansas, Wakarusa Research Facility — Lawrence, Kansas, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.