Adapting Exposure for Adolescent AN

NCT ID: NCT07188155

Last Updated: 2026-02-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 16 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-02-20
• Study Completion Date: 2027-06-30

Brief Summary

This pilot study is evaluating Exposure Therapy (Exp-AN) as a virtual treatment for adolescents (ages 14 - 17 years) with anorexia nervosa (AN) recruited from eating disorder clinic waitlists and clinician referrals at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) (8 participants per site). Adolescents who agree to take part in this study will receive 20 free virtual 40-60 minute weekly Exp-AN sessions at an outpatient level of care. Exp-AN for adolescents will combine individual virtual session time (35-50 min) with parent involvement (10-25 min). Parents will serve as "collaborators," supporting skill development, exposure completion, and treatment goal achievement. Exp-AN sessions will focus on helping participants overcome anxiety about weight gain by encouraging them to do challenging things that increase anxiety in the short term but help them better tolerate anxiety over the long term. Participants will be asked to complete a clinical interview, questionnaires, and labs and vitals testing before they begin the study. Adolescents will also complete questionnaires and participate in 15-min semi-structured interviews, while parents/caregivers will complete separate parallel interviews, at: mid-treatment, end-of-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. To ensure that all participants are receiving the same type of therapy, they will not be able to have any concurrent psychotherapy while receiving this treatment (other forms of care including dieticians, nutritionists, and psychiatrists are allowed).

Exp-AN is designed to target anxiety about weight gain. Exp-AN includes education about the effects of undereating; the importance of overcoming anxiety about weight gain; in-session weight exposures (e.g., stepping on a scale while reading a script describing fears about weight gain); creating a meal plan to help improve eating; reviewing eating behaviors over the past week; conducting in-session and between-session exposures that help participants face fears related to weight gain; and relapse prevention.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Exposure Therapy for AN (Exp-AN)

Exp-AN aims to target anxiety about weight gain by helping participants identify their specific feared consequences of weight gain (e.g., "I will permanently hate myself if I gain weight"), and combining in vivo (i.e., in real life) and imaginal (i.e., mental) exposure exercises to address these fears. Exp-AN consists of four core modules: (1) Treatment Rationale and Psychoeducation; (2) In-Session Weight Exposure; (3) Planning, Conducting, and Reviewing Exposures; and (4) Relapse Prevention.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Exposure Therapy for Anorexia (Exp-AN)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Exp-AN is specifically designed to target anxiety about weight gain. Exp-AN helps participants identify their specific feared consequences of weight gain (e.g., "I will permanently hate myself if I gain weight"), and combines in vivo (i.e., in real life) and imaginal (i.e., mental) exposure exercises to address these fears.

Interventions

Exposure Therapy for Anorexia (Exp-AN)

Exp-AN is specifically designed to target anxiety about weight gain. Exp-AN helps participants identify their specific feared consequences of weight gain (e.g., "I will permanently hate myself if I gain weight"), and combines in vivo (i.e., in real life) and imaginal (i.e., mental) exposure exercises to address these fears.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Has a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN)
• English speaking
• Mentally stable for an outpatient level of care
• Living with at least one parent/caregiver
• Less than or equal to 90% of expected body weight

Exclusion Criteria

• Younger than 14 years old or older than 17 years old
• Has a current psychotherapist and not open to pausing treatment for the duration of the study
• Has a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder
• Acutely suicidal
• Pregnant
• Meets DSM-5 criteria for a psychotic disorder and/or has an intellectual disability
• Non-English speaking

• Minimum Eligible Age: 14 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 17 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jamal Essayli

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Health

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Penn State College of Medicine

Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Jamal Essayli, PhD

Role: CONTACT

jessayli@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

(717) 531-0003 ext. 320191

Facility Contacts

Jamal H Essayli, PhD

Role: primary

jessayli@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

717-531-0003 ext. 320191

Other Identifiers

27028

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id