Comorbid depressive symptoms and self‐esteem improve after either cognitive‐behavioural therapy or family‐based treatment for adolescent bulimia nervosa |
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| Authors: | Fabiola Valenzuela James Lock Daniel Le Grange Cara Bohon |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA;2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA;3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA |
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| 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. |
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| Keywords: | bulimia nervosa cognitive behavioural therapy depression family‐based treatment self‐esteem |
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