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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 May;26(3):253-258.
doi: 10.1002/erv.2582. Epub 2018 Feb 15.

Comorbid depressive symptoms and self-esteem improve after either cognitive-behavioural therapy or family-based treatment for adolescent bulimia nervosa

Fabiola Valenzuela  1 , James Lock  1 , Daniel Le Grange  2   3 , Cara Bohon  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Comorbid depressive symptoms and self-esteem improve after either cognitive-behavioural therapy or family-based treatment for adolescent bulimia nervosa

Fabiola Valenzuela et al. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2018 May.

Abstract

This study examined the effect of family-based treatment for bulimia nervosa (FBT-BN) and cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents (CBT-A) on depressive symptoms and self-esteem in adolescents with BN. Data were collected from 110 adolescents, ages 12-18, who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, text revision criteria for BN or partial BN. Participants were randomly assigned to FBT-BN or CBT-A and completed measures of depressive symptoms and self-esteem before and after treatment and at 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments. Depressive symptoms and self-esteem significantly improved in both treatments, and neither treatment appeared superior on these clinical outcomes. Parents often worry whether FBT-BN addresses comorbid depressive symptoms and low self-esteem. Our findings address this concern, as they demonstrate that FBT-BN does not differ from CBT-A in improving depressive symptoms and self-esteem, and both treatments result in symptom improvement. These findings can help clinicians guide families to choose a treatment that addresses BN and depressive symptoms and low self-esteem.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00879151.

Keywords: bulimia nervosa; cognitive behavioural therapy; depression; family-based treatment; self-esteem.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change over time on mean scores for each treatment arm for the BDI (Panel A) and RSES (Panel B). Error bars reflect standard error.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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