Adapting Exposure for Adolescent AN

Part of paid clinical trials in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Study ID
NCT07188155
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Anorexia Nervosa

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
14 Years - 17 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Exposure Therapy for Anorexia (Exp-AN) — 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.

Study Details

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.

Key Dates

Start date
Feb 20, 2026
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Mar 31, 2027
Completion
Jun 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
16 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: 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.

Primary Outcome Measure

Eating Disorder Examination - Self-Report Questionnaire (EDE-Q) [ Time Frame: Baseline, Mid-Treatment, End-of-Treatment, 3-Month-Follow-Up ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Penn State College of MedicineHersheyPennsylvania17033
Jamal H Essayli, PhD
[email protected]
717-531-0003
Jamal H Essayli, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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By research site
Penn State College of Medicine· Hershey, PA

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