Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42170764›Full record

SynthesisThe British journal of clinical psychology2026

Cognitive behavioural therapy compared to control conditions in treating bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Angeliki L Sioziou, Anastasios Stefanou, Felicia Dimitrakopoulou, Menelaos Skarlatos, Andreas S Lappas, Christina Mesiari, Aikaterini Argyrou, Evangelos Ntouros, Nikolaos Christodoulou, Vasilios-Panteleimon Bozikas and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-AnalysisComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The British journal of clinical psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Angeliki L SioziouDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Anastasios StefanouSecond Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Felicia DimitrakopoulouDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Menelaos SkarlatosDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova, Italy.
Andreas S LappasDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Christina MesiariDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Aikaterini ArgyrouDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Evangelos NtourosSecond Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nikolaos ChristodoulouDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
Vasilios-Panteleimon BozikasSecond Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Myrto SamaraSecond Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6943-5091

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveOur systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate how Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) performs against control conditions, such as waiting-list, self-help interventions, psychological and pill placebos and treatment as usual (TAU) in Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED).

methodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL, WHO ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CBT to any control condition, in patients with BED and BN. Analyses employed random-effects models, calculating risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes, weighted mean differences (MD) for continuous outcomes and standardized mean differences (SMD) when scales varied. The primary outcomes were remission and binge eating frequency. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses assessed robustness.

results42 RCTs (2807 participants randomized) were included. CBT demonstrated superiority over waitlists in achieving remission (RR = 3.21, 95% CI: 2.15; 4.81) and in reducing binge-eating frequency (SMD = -.88, 95% CI: -1.08; -.69). However, compared to self-help, effects were attenuated for remission (RR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.19; 1.95) and were not significant for binge frequency (SMD = -.14, 95% CI: -.32; .04). Data were scarce for other inactive comparators. DISCUSSION: The superiority of CBT is contingent on the comparator used, highlighting the necessity for rigorous controls such as a psychological placebo or other therapy modalities.

Indexed as

Binge-Eating DisorderBulimia NervosaCognitive Behavioral TherapyOutcome Assessment, Health CareHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as Topicbinge eating episodeseating disorderspsychotherapypurgingtreatment

Identifiers

PMID42170764
PMCPMC13655980

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.