Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29083223›Full record

SynthesisJournal of consulting and clinical psychology2017

The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Jake Linardon, Tracey D Wade, Xochitl de la Piedad Garcia, Leah Brennan

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05304104 (Building an Equitable and Accessible System of Eating Disorder Care for VA, DoD, and Underrepresented Americans With Eating Disorders), which is not on this map. Cited by 131 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
131citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
28.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05304104 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Building an Equitable and Accessible System of Eating Disorder Care for VA, DoD, and Underrepresented Americans With Eating Disorders (EASED Study)

TypeinterventionalSponsorVA Connecticut Healthcare SystemRan2022 to 2025Enrolled144ConditionsBinge-Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, Veterans Health, Cognitive Behavioral TherapyArmsCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

131 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 362 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Emotion-Related Treatments in Patients With Binge Eating Episodes-a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  8. Mechanisms and moderators in mindfulness- and acceptance-based treatments for binge eating spectrum disorders: A systematic review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2019
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  19. A Multi-Site Study of Brief Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders for Individuals With BMI ≥ 30.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026
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  20. Review

71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jake LinardonSchool of Psychology, Australian Catholic University.
Tracey D WadeSchool of Psychology, Flinders University.
Xochitl de la Piedad GarciaSchool of Psychology, Australian Catholic University.
Leah BrennanSchool of Psychology, Australian Catholic University.
Australian Catholic University · AUFlinders University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis meta-analysis examined the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for eating disorders.

methodRandomized controlled trials of CBT were searched. Seventy-nine trials were included.

resultsTherapist-led CBT was more efficacious than inactive (wait-lists) and active (any psychotherapy) comparisons in individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Therapist-led CBT was most efficacious when manualized CBT-BN or its enhanced version was delivered. No significant differences were observed between therapist-led CBT for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder and antidepressants at posttreatment. CBT was also directly compared to other specific psychological interventions, and therapist-led CBT resulted in greater reductions in behavioral and cognitive symptoms than interpersonal psychotherapy at posttreatment. At follow-up, CBT outperformed interpersonal psychotherapy only on cognitive symptoms. CBT for binge eating disorder also resulted in greater reductions in behavioral symptoms than behavioral weight loss interventions. There was no evidence that CBT was more efficacious than behavior therapy or nonspecific supportive therapies.

conclusionsCBT is efficacious for eating disorders. Although CBT was equally efficacious to certain psychological treatments, the fact that CBT outperformed all active psychological comparisons and interpersonal psychotherapy specifically, offers some support for the specificity of psychological treatments for eating disorders. Conclusions from this study are hampered by the fact that many trials were of poor quality. Higher quality RCTs are essential. (PsycINFO Database Record

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsBinge-Eating DisorderBulimia NervosaCognitive Behavioral TherapyCombined Modality TherapyHumansPsychotherapyTreatment OutcomeAntidepressive Agents

Identifiers

PMID29083223
OpenAlexW2766766803

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.