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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01927042

Effectiveness of the ECHOs Approach for Patients With Eating Disorders and Their Carers

Family therapy is considered an empirically supported treatment approach for adolescents and adults with eating disorders. One family based approach, Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO) is based on evidence that suggests family environment, e.g., carer criticism, can influence an individual's eating disorder symptoms. ECHO aims to improve carer coping, reduce expressed emotion and manage eating disorder symptoms, and has been associated with reduced carer distress, caregiver burden, and an increase in general well being. The current pilot study seeks to evaluate a new condensed version of the ECHO intervention that is delivered entirely in a 2 ½ hour self-help DVD format (ECHOs). Sixty patients and their carers will be recruited from the Capital Health Eating Disorders Service and randomized into either a treatment as usual group (TAU) or a TAU+ECHOs group. Both carers and patients will be assessed along a variety of dimensions including psychiatric symptoms, family functioning, and carer and patient collaboration, at pre-intervention, four weeks later at post-intervention, and then three-months post-intervention. ANOVAs will be used to compare the primary outcomes between the two groups over time. This pilot study will be the first evaluation of ECHOs, which may ultimately boost the efficacy of current treatment for adults with eating disorders and reduce carer distress.

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Key information

Conditions

Eating Disorders Feeding and Eating Disorders Mental Disorders Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Digestive

Age range

17 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Capital Health District Health Authority

Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H2E2, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with an ED (AN, BN, EDNOS) according to DSM-V criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) as determined by standard clinical interview completed by team psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.
  • Patients age of >17y.o.
  • Carers can include parents/partners/siblings/extended family who provide unpaid help and support. Peers and roommates could also be included in circumstances within which they play a significant role in the person's life and meet the following criteria:
  • Live with or have regular, current contact with the patient (at least 7 hours/week) throughout the duration of the trial (approximately 6months).
  • Interact with the patient in some meaningful manner regarding their ED (e.g. provide support, eat meals together, discussions about behaviours).
  • Consent from patient and at least one carer

Exclusion criteria

  • ED comorbid with severe psychiatric or physical comorbidity: e.g. current psychotic illness (inc. bipolar disorder), severe alcohol/drug abuse, significant metabolic or gastrointestinal problems (i.e. treatment interfering) as determined by standard clinical interview completed by team psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.
  • Family in a concurrent treatment trial.
  • Either patient or carer has insufficient knowledge of English.

Treatment and study plan

ECHOs plus TAU

Behavioral

A self-help DVD that provides information for carers on eating disorders and teaches coping strategies to carers.

Other names: Expert Carers Helping Others plus Treatment as Usual

Treatment as Usual

Behavioral

Treatment as Usual at the Eating Disorder Services includes group psychotherapy and skills training, nutritional counselling, and meal support.

Other names: TAU

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in Carer and Patient Collaboration Scale (CPCS).

    Time frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up

    A scale to assess self efficacy in caregiving, specifically tailored to measure the skills taught in the ECHOs intervention. This scale will assess changes from baseline to post-internvention in caregiver efficacy.

  2. Changes in Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders (SEED)

    Time frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up

    This measure will asssess changes in the severity of key anorexic and bulimic symptoms from baseline to post-treatment, and follow-up.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depression, Stress and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21)

    Time frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up

    a measure of severity of anxiety, depression and stress pre- to post-treatment

  2. The Family Questionnaire (FQ)

    Time frame: baseline, 4-weeks post-intervention, 3 months follow-up

    20-item self report measure of expressed emotion in carers. Scores are given on a 4-point Likert scale and will measure the levels of expressed emotion from pre-intervention to post-intervention.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Nova Scotia Health Authority

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of the Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHOs) Approach for Patients With Eating Disorders and Their Carers

Acronym: ECHO

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Aug 22, 2013
Registry last updated
Jul 17, 2018

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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