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UCAN: Uniting Couples in the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00928109
First received: June 23, 2009
Last updated: November 8, 2012
Last verified: November 2012
History of Changes
  Purpose

UCAN is a research program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is part of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. UCAN aims to help couples work together in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Couples participate in UCAN over a period of six months and return for follow-up treatment three months after the end of the original six-month period. Patients receive weekly individual therapy, monthly psychiatry consultations, monthly dietary consultations in addition to being randomized to one of two types of weekly couples therapy. Participation in UCAN can help participants gain new confidence in facing anorexia as a team and can help us understand how best to involve partners in the treatment of eating disorders.


Condition Intervention
Anorexia Nervosa
 Behavioral: CBCT
Behavioral: Family Supportive Therapy

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Innovative Trial for the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa in Late Adolescence and Adulthood

Resource links provided by NLM:

MedlinePlus related topics: Eating Disorders
U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Eating disorder behavior [ Time Frame: 9 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Couple Satisfaction [ Time Frame: 9 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Enrollment: 40
Study Start Date: April 2008
Study Completion Date: June 2012
Primary Completion Date: June 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy (CBCT)
CBCT is a 20-week program consisting of 1-hour sessions between a couple and a therapist. In this program, couples learn about ways to communicate about their relationship in the context of experiencing anorexia nervosa. CBCT focuses on couple-specific skills such as communication and targets relationship domains such as exercise, body image and sexuality, eating together as a couple, and broader relationship concerns outside of anorexia nervosa.
 Behavioral: CBCT
Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy - weekly manualized couples therapy
Other Name: UCAN
Active Comparator: Family Supportive Therapy
Couples meet once a week for an hour for a period of 20 weeks for couples therapy. Family Supportive Therapy is not manualized and is the standard form of care at the UNC Eating Disorders Program
 Behavioral: Family Supportive Therapy
Couples meet once a week for an hour for a period of 20 weeks for couples therapy. Family Supportive Therapy is not manualized and is the standard form of care at the UNC Eating Disorders Program
Other Name: Eating Disorder Treatment as Usual

Detailed Description:

Patients receive comprehensive eating disorder treatment at the UNC Eating Disorders Outpatient Program in addition to couples therapy. Eligibility: Participants may be eligible if they are 18 or older, have anorexia nervosa and are currently living with a partner with whom they have been in a committed relationship for at least a year. The partner must also be willing to enter treatment.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Anorexia Nervosa,
  • 18 years or older,
  • BMI 16 or higher,
  • In a committed relationship with a partner for 1 year or longer and currently living together.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Alcohol or drug dependence in past year,
  • Current significant suicidal ideation,
  • Developmental disability that would impair the ability of the participant to benefit from the intervention,
  • Psychosis,
  • BMI less than 16.
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00928109

Locations
United States, North Carolina
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Cynthia M Bulik, PhD UNC Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry
Principal Investigator: Donald Baucom, PhD UNC Chapel Hill Department of Psychology
  More Information

No publications provided

Responsible Party: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00928109     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: 07-1429, R01MH082732-01
Study First Received: June 23, 2009
Last Updated: November 8, 2012
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill:
eating disorders
couples therapy

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Anorexia
Anorexia Nervosa
Signs and Symptoms, Digestive
 Signs and Symptoms
Eating Disorders
Mental Disorders

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013