Feasibility of a parent education and skills workshop for improving response to family-based treatment of adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Objective: Early response to family-based treatment (FBT) is a robust predictor of positive outcomes for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). We introduced a parent education and skills workshop in the first 4 weeks of treatment with the aim of improving changes in parent self-efficacy in FBT and, in turn, patient weight gain.

Method: Forty-five families who had at least one parent attend the workshop were compared to a matched control of families who did FBT before the workshop was introduced.

Results: Among adolescents who were underweight at baseline, weight gain by Week 4 of treatment was higher for adolescents whose parents attended the workshop (M = 90.84% median BMI) than those who did not (M = 88.54% mBMI, p < .05). There was no significant difference in weight at Week 12 or at end of treatment, nor was there a difference in self-efficacy as measured by the Parent Versus Anorexia Scale. Participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the workshop and significant improvements in knowledge and confidence.

Discussion: Overall, the workshop was a feasible adjunct for improving early response to FBT.