Qualitative Evaluation of Change Processes in Multifamily Therapy for Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Anorexia Nervosa

In brief

Anorexia nervosa is a characterised disorder which forms part of the wider spectrum of eating disorders. It is a common pathology, particularly in adolescence, with a complex, severe prognosis in both somatic and psychiatric terms, and significant psychosocial consequences, particularly for family relationships. The treatment of anorexia requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists who can offer individual and family-based approaches. International recommendations highlight the encouraging results of family therapy in the treatment of anorexia nervosa in adolescence. Various types of family approach exist, including "Family Based Treatments", which are a specific but highly effective approach, particularly widespread in the United States. Multifamily therapy (MFT), which involves bringing several families together to address the problem of anorexia, has proved effective for several years now. Since January 2019, multifamily therapy has been offered to adolescents aged 12 to 18 who are being followed at the Maison de Solenn-Maison des Adolescents at Cochin hospital, for anorexia nervosa, as well as their families. Each group brings together 5 to 7 families and comprises 10 3-hour sessions, with 3 weeks between each session. 2 groups are offered per year. Multi-family therapy therefore involves 10 to 14 families per year. It complements the other approaches available in the department. To be able to describe the therapeutic processes at work in multifamily groups in order to be able to better describe our therapeutic device and envisage possible modifications. These processes would be broken down into four areas: MFT and its effects on the anorexic symptom, MFT and its effects on the family, MFT as group therapy and ways of improving the MFT system.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT06091306
Run by: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
People needed: 138
Starts: 2023-12-01
Expected to finish: 2027-05-01
Last updated by the study team: 2025-09-12

Who can join

Age: 6 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

Families who have taken part in a multifamily group on anorexia nervosa, i.e. :
Parents (or any adult identified as a referent by the teenager), teenagers and siblings (over 6 years old) who have taken part in multi-family therapy (people from the teenager's family who have not taken part in the group will not be included),
Adolescents aged 12 to 20,
Adolescents with anorexia nervosa according to DSM5 criteria,
Adolescents treated at the Maison des Adolescents at Cochin Hospital,
Non-opposition of adolescents, their parents and siblings.
It will be possible to include in the study a parent or sibling whose adolescent did not wish to take part in the research but who participated in the MFT group.

You may not qualify if…

Contraindication to multifamily therapy (i.e. any family situation that makes it impossible to bring parents and children together in family therapy without changing the setting (parents stripped of parental authority, educational removal measure, mediated visits, etc.),
Any patient whose main diagnosis is not anorexia nervosa according to DSM5 criteria.
Patients with an autistic spectrum disorder, a chronic psychotic disorder or an intellectual disability as their primary or secondary diagnosis according to DSM 5.
Participants under curatorship or guardianship
Participants not covered by a Social Security scheme.

Where it is running

University Hospital Cochin, Maison des Adolescents - Youth Department (Maison de Solenn) — Paris, Île-de-France Region, France (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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