None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Researchers at Western Sydney University are conducting a trial on group Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders. Participating in the study would involve attending a group therapy program conducted by two Clinical Psychologists, which will be held at the University of Western Sydney, Bankstown Campus. The program consists of one 90-minute group session per week, for 25 weeks. Participants must be 18 years or older and must have some form of disordered eating (e.g. anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, eating disorder not otherwise specified). Participants must not have current suicidal thinking. Participants will be asked to attend a screening session to assess their suitability for the group. If suitable, they will be invited to attend a second appointment to be interviewed and to complete some questionnaires. They will be asked to take part in another interview and questionnaire session at the end of treatment, and again 6 and 12 months later. It is expected that those participating in the treatment group will lead to a significant reduction in eating disorder symptoms, reductions in general psychological symptoms and improvement of quality of life. This study is to identify whether or not schema therapy is effective in reducing symptoms. The study will explore patient perspectives about what was helpful and not helpful about group schema therapy.
Interventions
Schema is an integrative approach to treatment that combines the best aspects of cognitive behavioral, experiential, interpersonal and psychoanalytic therapies into one unified model. The schemas that are targeted in treatment are enduring and self-defeating patterns that typically begin early in life. These patterns consist of negative/ dysfunctional thoughts and feelings, have been repeated and elaborated upon, and pose obstacles for accomplishing one's goals and getting one's needs met. Altho
Schema is an integrative approach to treatment that combines the best aspects of cognitive behavioral, experiential, interpersonal and psychoanalytic therapies into one unified model. The schemas that are targeted in treatment are enduring and self-defeating patterns that typically begin early in life. These patterns consist of negative/ dysfunctional thoughts and feelings, have been repeated and elaborated upon, and pose obstacles for accomplishing one's goals and getting one's needs met. Although schemas are usually developed early in life (during childhood or adolescence), they can also form later, in adulthood. These schemas are perpetuated behaviorally through the coping styles of schema maintenance, schema avoidance, and schema compensation. The Schema-Focused model of treatment is designed to help the person to break these negative patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving, which are often very tenacious, and to develop healthier alternatives to replace them. Schema therapy is gaining widespread acceptability (e.g. it is offered by many private and public mental health hospitals in Australia), and it is becoming an increasingly popular psychological model for working with individuals who have a variety of mental and personality difficulties. This approach has been applied, in both individual and group forms, to a wide variety of clinical disorders, including, borderline personality disorder, chronic depression, and substance abuse (Masley, et al., 2012). A recent stringent systematic review found medium to large effect sizes for schema therapy in the treatment of most conditions (Masley, et al., 2012). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of group schema therapy for patients with eating disorders. An initial pilot in Scotland was found to be effective with this population in a previous study (Simpson, et al. 2010). Patients will be asked to attend a one hour screening session with a provisionally or fully registered psychologist (supervised by Dr Smith) to ensure suitability for this type of therapy, before being invited to participate in the group. If they agree to participate in the group, they will then undergo a 2 hour assessment where they will complete a number of standard questionnaires and an assessment. They will then commence the therapy which consists of 25 weekly group sessions lasting for 1.5 hours. Eight to ten patients will be in each group. Each session will be facilitated by 1 to 2 therapists. At least one therapist will be a registered psychologist. Group attendance will be taken weekly to monitor adherence to the intervention.
Sponsors
Western Sydney University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants must be 18 years of age or older and must have some form of disordered eating (e.g. anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, eating disorder not otherwise specified).
Exclusion criteria
The exclusion criteria include factors that would prevent participants from actively engaging in therapy and that would necessitate alternative treatment or admission to inpatient care (for instance, active suicidality).
Outcome results
None listed