open access publication

Article, 2024

Guided self-help treatment for children and young people with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders: A pilot study protocol

PLOS ONE, ISSN 1932-6203, Volume 19, 4, Page e0301606, 10.1371/journal.pone.0301606

Contributors

Davey, Emily 0000-0001-5785-1533 (Corresponding author) [1] Bryant-Waugh, Rachel J 0000-0002-7449-6059 [2] [3] Bennett, Sophie D 0000-0002-1076-7112 [1] [2] Micali, Nadia 0000-0001-5571-2273 [1] [4] Baudinet, Julian 0000-0002-7840-4158 [2] [3] Clark-Stone, Sam 0009-0009-2282-6579 [5] Shafran, Roz 0000-0003-2729-4961 [1]

Affiliations

  1. [1] University College London
    2. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  2. [2] King's College London
    3. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  3. [3] South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
    4. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  4. [4] Mental Health Services
    5. [NORA names: Capital Region of Denmark; Hospital; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
  5. [5] Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
    6. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD]

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prompt access to evidence-based treatment for children and young people with eating disorders is important for outcomes, yet the gap in service provision remains pervasive. Record levels of young people are waiting for eating disorder treatment and access to care is limited. Guided self-help interventions that are brief and require minimal clinician support have the potential to meet the unprecedented demand for treatment quickly and effectively. OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility, acceptability and proof of concept of a novel, CBT guided self-help intervention for children and young people with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders. METHODS: A single-arm, proof-of-concept pilot study of the CBT guided self-help intervention will be conducted. Children and young people (aged 11-19) with threshold and subthreshold eating disorders will receive a self-help intervention covering the core components of CBT, supported by 8 weekly guidance sessions delivered remotely. Clinical outcomes (eating-related psychopathology and associated impairment, changes in weight, depression, anxiety, and behavioural difficulties) will be assessed at baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks). Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be measured using various outcomes, including adherence to, and engagement with the intervention, rates of recruitment and retention, measure completion and treatment satisfaction. Qualitative data will also be collected for future intervention refinement. DISCUSSION: If the intervention is shown to produce clinical benefits in this pilot study, a fully powered randomised pilot study will be warranted with the ultimate goal of increasing access to psychological treatment for children and young people threshold and subthreshold eating disorders. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION: This study protocol (S1 File) adheres to the guidelines outlined in the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist for trial protocols [1, 2] which can be found in S1 Checklist. The numbers in parentheses in this protocol correspond to the item numbers in the SPIRIT checklist. The order of items has been modified to group similar items.

Keywords

CBT, Prompt access, Protocol Items, SPIRIT checklist, Standard Protocol Items, acceptance, access, adherence, baseline, benefits, checklist, children, clinical benefit, clinical outcomes, clinician support, completion, components of CBT, concept, core, core components, data, disorder treatment, disorders, eating disorder treatment, eating disorders, engagement, evidence-based treatments, feasibility, gap, goal, goal of increasing access, grouping similar items, guidance sessions, guided self-help intervention, guidelines, intervention, intervention refinement, intervention trials, item numbers, items, levels of young people, measure completion, measurements, number, outcomes, parentheses, people, pilot, pilot study, pilot study protocol, post-intervention, potential, protocol, provision, psychological treatment, qualitative data, randomised pilot study, rate, rates of recruitment, recommendations, record levels, records, recruitment, refinement, retention, satisfaction, self-help intervention, self-help treatment, service provision, services, sessions, single-arm, spirit, standards, study, study protocol, subthreshold eating disorders, support, threshold, treatment, treatment satisfaction, trial protocol, trials, weeks, young people

Data Provider: Digital Science

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