Mechanism of change in Compassion-focused therapy and Cognitive-behavioural therapy in the treatment of eating disorders with and without childhood trauma
Categories: Research project
The Modum-ED trial: Change Processes in Patients with Eating Disorders with and without Childhood Maltreatment. A Randomized Controlled Trial in an Intensive Treatment Setting.
About the Project
The doctoral project is part of a randomized controlled study examining how patients with and without childhood traumas respond to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and compassion-focused therapy (CFT). The study is based on findings indicating that patients with childhood maltreatment have a higher risk of dropout and non-response to treatment.
Objectives
The overarching aim was to investigate central change processes in eating disorder treatment for patients with and without childhood maltreatment in the context of a randomized trial. Specifically, the aim was to study central change processes at a within-person level, and further, to examine the directed relationship between symptoms and possible mechanisms of change through multilevel modeling and network analysis.
Results
The results show that self-compassion might be a mechanism of change for eating disorder symptoms in patients with a history of childhood maltreatment. We did not find this effect in patients without the history of childhood maltreatment. Network analysis showed that eating disorder cognitions regarding shape preceded and predicted change in eating disorder behavior for all patients. Anxiety symptoms (worry and restlessness) was also highly central and predictive of change. When comparing networks between patients with and without childhood trauma, the networks differed, suggesting that patients with childhood maltreatment have different processes than those without a history of maltreatment. Central differences were found in self-compassion (more central in patients with maltreatment) and hopelessness (more central in patients with maltreatment) vs anxiety (more central in patients without maltreatment).
Funding
This project is funded by Modum Bad.
Collaboration
The RCT was performed at Modum Bad Psychiatric Centre in Norway. Leading researchers in the field of network analysis and dynamic systems from the Netherlands, University of Leiden, are also contributing to the dissertation.
Tools
The study uses data collected continuously throughout the treatment process at Modum Bad (EDE-Q, SCL-5, Self-Compassion Scale).
Contact Information
Principal investigator RCT: KariAnne Vrabel
Project Contact: Maren Kopland
You can also reach us through the Modum Bad telephone service: 32 74 97 00.
Project team at Modum Bad
Hanna Punsvik Eielsen, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
KariAnne Vrabel, Ph.D.
Leder av Forskningsinstituttet / Førsteamanuensis II Universitetet i Oslo
Research leader, Specialist in clinical psychology, Associate professor
Project participants
- KariAnne Vrabel (Modum Bad, University of Oslo) (main supervisor)
- Asle Hoffart (Modum Bad/University of Oslo) (co-supervisor)
- Sverre Urnes Johnson (University of Oslo/Modum Bad) (co-supervisor)
- Erik Giltay MD PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Health Campus The Hague, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
- Rita Slof Opt ‘Land, University of Leiden, Rivierduinen Eating Disorders Ursula, Leiden, the Netherlands.
