Developing more efficient, effective, and disseminable treatments for eating disorders: an overview of the multiphase optimization strategy

Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder Across the Lifespan: An Updated Review of the Literature and Considerations for Future Research

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The present review describes the recent literature on treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED) in adults and youth, with a particular focus on research gaps, emerging treatments, and future research directions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Evidence supports the efficacy of several treatment modalities in adults, including self-help treatment, clinician-led psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy; the largest effect sizes have been found for psychotherapies, most of which were cognitive-behavioral in orientation. Adapted psychotherapies for youth also show promise but lack a robust body of evidence. Predictors, moderators, and mediators of treatment outcome remain poorly understood; individuals with BED continue to experience significant barriers to treatment; and research is needed to address suboptimal treatment response. Recent work has highlighted the potential of adaptive interventions and investigation of novel mechanisms to address these gaps. Research on BED treatment continues to grow, though critical questions must be answered to improve treatment efficacy across the lifespan.

A closer look at homework compliance in behavior therapy for bulimia nervosa: does homework compliance in between-session period prospectively predict session-by-session change in bulimia symptoms?

INTRODUCTION

Homework assignments are considered key components of behavioral treatments for bulimia nervosa (BN), but little is known about whether homework compliance predicts BN symptom improvement. The present study is the first to examine whether session-by-session change in homework compliance predicts session-by-session changes in BN symptoms during behavioral treatment.

METHOD

Patients with BN-spectrum eating disorders (n = 42) received 20 sessions of behavioral treatment. Each session, their clinicians completed surveys assessing compliance with self-monitoring, behavioral, and written homework assignments and BN symptom frequency during the previous week.

RESULTS

Significant between-persons effects of self-monitoring and behavioral homework compliance were identified, such that patients with greater compliance in the past week experienced greater reductions in binge eating and purging the following week. There were significant within-persons effects of self-monitoring compliance on binge eating and behavioral homework compliance on restrictive eating, binge eating, and purging, such that greater than one's usual compliance predicted greater improvements in BN symptoms the following week. No significant effects of written homework compliance were identified.

CONCLUSION

Compliance with self-monitoring and behavioral homework predict improvements in BN symptoms during behavioral treatment. These findings reinforce the importance of self-monitoring and behavioral homework compliance as drivers of change during treatment for BN.

["Alternative study designs" for the evaluation of digital health applications - a real alternative?]

INTRODUCTION

After the Digital Healthcare Act (Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz, DVG) reformed digital health applications' (Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen, DiGAs) access to German Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) reimbursement, the discussion concerning necessary evidence requirements has intensified. In the past, different "alternative study designs" have been proposed to replace randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the DiGA efficacy and benefit assessments. The present paper examines the suitability of these alternative designs for informing SHI reimbursement decisions.

METHODS

The four alternative study designs primarily discussed in the context of DiGA - "Continuous Evaluation of Evolving Behavioral Intervention Technologies" (CEEBIT), "Multiphase Optimization Strategy" (MOST), "Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial" (SMART) and "Micro-Randomized Trial" (MRT) - are characterized and compared on the basis of relevant primary and secondary sources. Subsequently, their suitability for effectiveness and benefit evaluation in the context of SHI reimbursement decisions is discussed.

RESULTS

None of the study designs examined aims primarily at conclusively demonstrating efficacy and benefit. Three of the four designs (MOST, SMART, MRT) focus on the development and optimization of interventions. In order to reduce resource requirements, the approaches presented sometimes deviate considerably from the methodological approach in traditional RCTs. This is especially true for their applied statistical error tolerance and their underlying randomization logic. Three of the four concepts (MOST, SMART, MRT) therefore still require RCTs after the development phase in order to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefit of the optimized intervention.

DISCUSSION

The methodological differences of the alternative study designs compared to classical RCTs are accompanied by serious potentials for bias and uncertainties with regard to the identified intervention effects. These may be acceptable in the context of intervention development, but do not appear to be appropriate for use in collective SHI reimbursement decisions.

CONCLUSION

The alternative study designs presented cannot be regarded as a suitable RCT alternative for efficacy and benefit assessments. A pragmatic study design, which continues to meet high methodological standards, and better utilization of real-world data could, in the future, contribute to a compromise between the justified claims to sufficient certainty of results on the one hand and appropriate procedural effort on the other.

The project COMPASS protocol: Optimizing mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral treatment for binge-eating spectrum disorders

Outcomes from cognitive behavioral therapy for binge-eating spectrum disorders are suboptimal, possibly due in part to deficits in self-regulation (i.e., the ability to control behavior in pursuit of long-term goals despite internal challenges). Mindfulness and acceptance-based treatments (MABTs) integrate behavioral treatment with psychological strategies designed to enhance self-regulation, yet little is known about how and for whom they are effective. The present study will utilize the multiphase optimization strategy to identify which of four MABT components (mindful awareness, distress tolerance, emotion modulation, values-based decision making) to include in a fully powered clinical trial. Participants (n = 256) will be randomized to 16 sessions in one of 16 conditions, each a different combination of MABT components being included or excluded from a base behavioral treatment. Our primary aim is to evaluate each component's independent efficacy on disordered eating symptoms. Our secondary aims are to confirm each component's target engagement (i.e., whether each component improves the targeted variable and outcomes), and test that each component's efficacy is moderated by baseline weaknesses in the same component (e.g., that participants with poor distress tolerance at baseline benefit most from the distress tolerance component). Our exploratory aim is to quantify the component interaction effects.

Comparing integrative cognitive-affective therapy and guided self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat binge-eating disorder using standard and naturalistic momentary outcome measures: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Innovative treatments and outcome measures are needed for binge-eating disorder (BED). This randomized controlled trial compared Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT-BED), an individual psychotherapy targeting momentary behavioral and emotional precipitants of binge eating, with an established cognitive-behavioral guided self-help (CBTgsh) treatment using standard and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) outcome measures.

METHOD

A total of 112 participants were randomized to 17 weeks of treatment (21 sessions for ICAT-BED and 10 sessions for CBTgsh). Binge-eating frequency was assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) as well as EMA using cell phone-based real-time, naturalistic assessment at end of treatment (EOT) and 6-month follow-up. Hypothesized maintenance mechanisms were assessed using self-report questionnaires.

RESULTS

Binge-eating frequency as measured by the EDE and real-time assessment showed significant reductions at EOT and follow-up, with no significant differences between treatments. Hypothesized maintenance mechanisms, including emotion regulation, cognitive self-discrepancy, self-directed style, as well as measures of associated eating disorder psychopathology, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and negative affect, showed similar improvement at EOT and follow-up with no differences between treatments. Abstinence rates at EOT (ICAT-BED: 57.1%; CBTgsh: 42.9%) and 6-month follow-up (ICAT-BED: 46.4%; CBTgsh: 42.9%) were not significantly different. Treatment retention was significantly higher for ICAT-BED (87.5%) than CBTgsh (71.4%).

DISCUSSION

These findings suggest that ICAT-BED and CBTgsh were associated with similar improvements in binge eating, psychopathology, and putative maintenance mechanisms as measured by traditional self-report and momentary, naturalistic assessments and that these changes were generally sustained at 6-month follow-up.