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Completed

NCT Number: NCT07768319

The Effectiveness of Online Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy on Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is a kind of chronic refractory mental disorder with high prevalence and relapse rate, which would cause serious damage to physical and mental health. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an internationally effective and evidence-based therapy for BN patients. Previous studies have found that DBT group therapy can significantly improve the core symptoms of BN patients. Our research group has conducted DBT group therapy for BN, and found that after 12 weeks of treatment, the frequencies of binge eating and purging behavior of BN patients were significantly reduced. However, with the high cost of ground-based group therapy and low coverage, it is difficult to promote the G-DBT(Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) for BN, considering the shortage of mental health resource in China. Besides, videoconferencing-based psychotherapy has gradually emerged in recent years. However, there is still a lack of clinical studies on the videoconferencing-based G-DBT for BN at home and abroad to confirm its efficacy and feasibility. Therefore, this study intends to use a randomized controlled study by randomly allocating BN patients into videoconferencing-based G-DBT group and traditional G-DBT group for 12 weeks. By comparing the changes of core symptoms and psychological characteristics of BN patients before and after treatment, this study aims to illustrate the efficacy and feasibility of videoconferencing-based G-DBT is no less than traditional G-DBT.

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Key information

Conditions

Bulimia Nervosa Feeding and Eating Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Shanghai, 200030, China

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female, 18-35 years old, right-handed;
  • Education level is junior high school or above;
  • Meet the Diagnostic criteria of Bulimia Nervosa in DSM-5 (The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders，DSM), body mass index (BMI)≥18.5 kg/m2;
  • Did not receive systematic nutritional therapy, psychiatric drug therapy or any form of psychological therapy within 1 month before enrollment;
  • Able to understand the study and agree to participate.

Exclusion criteria

  • Those who meet other DSM-5 diagnoses besides BN, such as substance abuse/dependence, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. And those with high risk of suicide, strong disruptive impulse or antisocial behavior.
  • Patients with serious primary or secondary physical disease, cognitive impairment, so that they can not complete the required assessment.
  • Have received systematic nutritional therapy, individual and group psychotherapy previously.
  • Have taken neuroblockers, antidepressants, lithium salts, stimulants, antiepileptic drugs and other psychotropic drugs within the past 1 month.
  • For other reasons that researchers consider it inappropriate to participate in this clinical trial.

Treatment and study plan

Online Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral

Online G-DBT is an adapted version of G-DBT delivered via video-conference. The specific design of G-DBT is the same as traditional face-to-face G-DBT. It also consists of 12 sessions, which is conducted weekly and lasts for 120 minutes. There are two therapists in charge of the therapy.

Other names: Online G-DBT

Face-to-face Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral

The G-DBT consists of 12 sessions, each lasting 120 minutes, and is held once a week. Two DBT therapists lead the patients to learn mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills, pain tolerance skills, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. The aim is to help the patients reduce binge eating and harmful behaviors by regulating their emotions. Each sessions is conducted in a face-to-face way, in the psychological therapy room of the outpatient clinic in Shanghai Mental Health Center.

Other names: Face-to-face G-DBT

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes of binge eating and purging episodes from baseline

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q, item 13 and 15). Core pathological behaviors of BN patients.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change of disordered eating from baseline

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by the total scores of EDE-Q and scores of its four subscales.

  2. Changes of eating disorder related cognitive and behavioral characteristics

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by EDI(Eating Disorder Inventory), which consists of 8 subscales, 91 items.

  3. Change of impulse control ability

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), which consists of 3 dimension, 26 items. Higher scores represent stronger impulse.

  4. Change of depression level

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), of which higher scores show deeper depression.

  5. Change of anxiety level

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Higher scores show deeper anxiety.

  6. Change of emotion regulation ability

    Time frame: Baseline, week 12 (end of the treatment), week 16 and week 24

    Measured by Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16), which includes 16 items that falls into 5 factors.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Other

Collaborators

  • Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission

Registry information

Official study title

The Effectiveness of Online Group Dialectical Behavioral Therapy on Bulimia Nervosa: An Randomized-Controlled-Trial Study

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2023
First posted
Aug 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 25, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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