Parental Expressed Emotion During Two Forms of Family ‐Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

This study assessed EE in 89 mothers and 64 fathers at baseline and end of treatment in a randomised trial comparing conjoint FBT to parent‐focused FBT (PFT). Compared with conjoint FBT, PFT was associated with a decrease in maternal criticism, regardless of adolescent remission. Furthermore, an increase in maternal criticism was more likely to be observed in conjoint FBT (80%) than PFT (20%, p = 0.001). Adolescents of mothers who demonstrated an increase in EE, or remained high in EE, were less likely to remit compared with adolescents for whom EE decreased or remained low (33% and 0% vs. 43% and 50%, p = 0.03). There were no significant effects for paternal EE. The results highlight the importance of considering EE when implementing FBT for adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Source: European Eating Disorders Review - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research