Using Visual Feedback to Influence Rapid Response in the Treatment of Eating Disorders

NCT ID: NCT02940613

Last Updated: 2025-10-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: TERMINATED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 80 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2020-03-20

Brief Summary

This study has two aims: 1) to test the validity of an eating disorder symptom checklist against an established clinical interview; and 2) to examine whether providing eating disorder patients with visual graphs of their symptom frequency in the early sessions of active treatment will lead to higher numbers of patients achieving a "rapid response" (65% reduction in symptoms in the first 4 weeks of treatment). Groups where patients receive visual graphs of symptom frequency will be compared with groups where patients do not receive visual graphs of symptom frequency on rates of rapid response to cognitive behavior treatment for eating disorders.

Detailed Description

There is a growing body of research indicating that the best predictor of treatment outcome for eating disorders is a "rapid response" - or a 65% drop in symptoms such as binge eating or purging - in the first four weeks of Cognitive Behavior Treatment (CBT). Research is only now beginning to look at whether it is possible to increase the number of rapid responders by directly encouraging this behavior in patients. This study has two aims: 1) to validate information obtained about symptoms in a Weekly Symptom Checklist (WSC) against information obtained in clinical interview; and 2) to examine whether, in a context where rapid response is being discussed and actively encouraged, the rates of rapid response can be improved by providing patients with visual of symptom change in the first weeks of treatment. Investigators hypothesize that there will be significant correspondence between the WSC and clinical interview. Investigators also hypothesize that being given a visual of symptom change in the first weeks of treatment will result in higher rates of rapid response in patients being encouraged to achieve these objectives; and that rapid response will be related to higher rates of symptom remission at the end of treatment. Participants will be 40 patients diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder or Purging Disorder. These patients will be spread across 6 treatment groups. Three groups will be randomly selected (balanced across clinicians) to either receive or not receive visual feedback on change in frequency of symptoms based on their responses to the Weekly Symptom Checklist (WSC).

Conditions

Bulimia Nervosa; Binge Eating Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Visual feedback of symptom frequency

Participants in this arm receive visual feedback of their symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment, based on information they provide on a symptom checklist.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Visual feedback of symptom frequency

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants receive visual feedback of their symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment, based on information they provide on a symptom checklist.

No visual feedback of symptom frequency

Participants in this arm complete the symptom checklist as is typically done during treatment, but receive no visual feedback of their self-reported symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Visual feedback of symptom frequency

Participants receive visual feedback of their symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment, based on information they provide on a symptom checklist.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• BMI (Body Mass Index) over 19
• Diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, or Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED) Purging Disorder.

Exclusion Criteria

• BMI below 19

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Michele Laliberte

Clinical Director and Psychologist, Eating Disorders Clinic

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Michele M Laliberte, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Locations

St. Joseph's Healthcare

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

References

Agras WS, Crow SJ, Halmi KA, Mitchell JE, Wilson GT, Kraemer HC. Outcome predictors for the cognitive behavior treatment of bulimia nervosa: data from a multisite study. Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Aug;157(8):1302-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.8.1302.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 10910795 (View on PubMed)

Bulik CM, Sullivan PF, Carter FA, McIntosh VV, Joyce PR. Predictors of rapid and sustained response to cognitive-behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 1999 Sep;26(2):137-44. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199909)26:23.0.co;2-n.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 10422602 (View on PubMed)

Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ. Assessment of eating disorders: interview or self-report questionnaire? Int J Eat Disord. 1994 Dec;16(4):363-70.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 7866415 (View on PubMed)

Fairburn CG, Agras WS, Walsh BT, Wilson GT, Stice E. Prediction of outcome in bulimia nervosa by early change in treatment. Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Dec;161(12):2322-4. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2322.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15569910 (View on PubMed)

Grilo CM, Masheb RM. Rapid response predicts binge eating and weight loss in binge eating disorder: findings from a controlled trial of orlistat with guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy. Behav Res Ther. 2007 Nov;45(11):2537-50. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2007.05.010. Epub 2007 Jun 7.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17659254 (View on PubMed)

Grilo CM, Masheb RM, Wilson GT. Rapid response to treatment for binge eating disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006 Jun;74(3):602-13. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.602.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 16822116 (View on PubMed)

Grilo CM, White MA, Wilson GT, Gueorguieva R, Masheb RM. Rapid response predicts 12-month post-treatment outcomes in binge-eating disorder: theoretical and clinical implications. Psychol Med. 2012 Apr;42(4):807-17. doi: 10.1017/S0033291711001875. Epub 2011 Sep 16.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21923964 (View on PubMed)

Grilo CM, White MA, Masheb RM, Gueorguieva R. Predicting meaningful outcomes to medication and self-help treatments for binge-eating disorder in primary care: The significance of early rapid response. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2015 Apr;83(2):387-94. doi: 10.1037/a0038635. Epub 2015 Jan 26.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25622201 (View on PubMed)

MacDonald DE, Trottier K, McFarlane T, Olmsted MP. Empirically defining rapid response to intensive treatment to maximize prognostic utility for bulimia nervosa and purging disorder. Behav Res Ther. 2015 May;68:48-53. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.03.007. Epub 2015 Mar 17.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25800137 (View on PubMed)

Masheb RM, Grilo CM. Rapid response predicts treatment outcomes in binge eating disorder: implications for stepped care. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007 Aug;75(4):639-44. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.4.639.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17663617 (View on PubMed)

McFarlane TL, MacDonald DE, Royal S, Olmsted MP. Rapid and slow responders to eating disorder treatment: a comparison on clinically relevant variables. Int J Eat Disord. 2013 Sep;46(6):563-6. doi: 10.1002/eat.22136. Epub 2013 Apr 12.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23580395 (View on PubMed)

McFarlane T, Olmsted MP, Trottier K. Timing and prediction of relapse in a transdiagnostic eating disorder sample. Int J Eat Disord. 2008 Nov;41(7):587-93. doi: 10.1002/eat.20550.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 18473336 (View on PubMed)

Olmsted MP, Kaplan AS, Rockert W, Jacobsen M. Rapid responders to intensive treatment of bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 1996 Apr;19(3):279-85. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199604)19:33.0.CO;2-J.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 8704727 (View on PubMed)

Olmsted MP, MacDonald DE, McFarlane T, Trottier K, Colton P. Predictors of rapid relapse in bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 2015 Apr;48(3):337-40. doi: 10.1002/eat.22380. Epub 2014 Dec 26.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25545720 (View on PubMed)

Raykos BC, Watson HJ, Fursland A, Byrne SM, Nathan P. Prognostic value of rapid response to enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy in a routine clinic sample of eating disorder outpatients. Int J Eat Disord. 2013 Dec;46(8):764-70. doi: 10.1002/eat.22169. Epub 2013 Aug 5.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23913536 (View on PubMed)

Thompson-Brenner H, Shingleton RM, Sauer-Zavala S, Richards LK, Pratt EM. Multiple measures of rapid response as predictors of remission in cognitive behavior therapy for bulimia nervosa. Behav Res Ther. 2015 Jan;64:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2014.11.004. Epub 2014 Nov 13.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25462877 (View on PubMed)

Vall E, Wade TD. Predictors of treatment outcome in individuals with eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 Apr;49(4):432-3. doi: 10.1002/eat.22518. No abstract available.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 27084797 (View on PubMed)

Vaz AR, Conceicao E, Machado PP. Early response as a predictor of success in guided self-help treatment for bulimic disorders. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2014 Jan;22(1):59-65. doi: 10.1002/erv.2262. Epub 2013 Oct 4.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24123526 (View on PubMed)

Wilson GT, Fairburn CC, Agras WS, Walsh BT, Kraemer H. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa: time course and mechanisms of change. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002 Apr;70(2):267-74.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11952185 (View on PubMed)

Zunker C, Peterson CB, Cao L, Mitchell JE, Wonderlich SA, Crow S, Crosby RD. A receiver operator characteristics analysis of treatment outcome in binge eating disorder to identify patterns of rapid response. Behav Res Ther. 2010 Dec;48(12):1227-31. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2010.08.007. Epub 2010 Sep 6.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20869041 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

STJOES2016PAC

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id