SynthesisEuropean eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association2022
Multi-family therapy for eating disorders across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multi-Family Therapy in East and Southeast Asia-A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis.Journal of marital and family therapy · 2026Pooled it
- Next of kin involvement in mental health care services - a systematic participatory overview of evidence syntheses.BMC psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Multi-family therapy for eating disorders across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2022Pooled it
- Digital augmentation of aftercare for patients with anorexia nervosa: the TRIANGLE RCT and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Trial
- Combining Asset Accumulation and Multifamily Group Intervention to Improve Mental Health for Adolescent Girls: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Uganda.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2024Trial
- Investigation of virtual multi-family therapy for adolescent anorexia nervosa: feasibility and acceptability.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- When Is the Right Time to End Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (FT-AN)?: A Qualitative Study of Young People's Experiences.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- Emotional burden and family functioning among caregivers of individuals with eating disorders.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- What factors do parents/caregivers think impact change in family therapy for anorexia nervosa?: a qualitative study.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Clinician perspectives on how change occurs in multi-family therapy for adolescent anorexia nervosa: a qualitative study.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Multi-family Therapy for Eating Disorders Across the Lifespan.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Review
- Multifamily therapy for adolescent eating disorders: a study of the change in eating disorder symptoms from start of treatment to follow-up.Journal of eating disorders · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) have an estimated prevalence rate of 1%-5% across Europe. Effective adjunct interventions are needed to support the 20%-40% of families whose recovery requires additional support to first line approaches. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to establish whether multi-family therapy (MFT) improves the physical and psychological health of patients and family members. Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library in March 2021. 15 studies (850 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis demonstrated MFT resulted in significant benefits in weight gain, ED symptoms, patients' and parents' depression symptoms, and parents' negative experiences of caregiving. However, significant improvements were only evident when comparisons were drawn before and after the intervention; these dissipated when MFT was compared to another intervention. There was no evidence MFT improves family functioning, positive aspects of caregiving, nor patient and parental anxiety. Intervention completion rates ranged from 86% to 100% indicating a high level of acceptability. Studies varied with regard to intervention length and structure, follow-up period, and outcome measures utilised; most were rated as moderate or weak in methodological quality. More rigorous and large scale randomised controlled trials are needed to fully assess the effectiveness of MFT.
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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.