Exploring Treatment Experiences of FPT for Anorexia Nervosa
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring Experiences of Psychological Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: Helpful and Unhelpful Aspects of Focal Psychodynamic Therapy
IRAS ID
325857
Contact name
Marina Pouliadi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Focal Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (FPT) is an evidence-based, NICE-recommended modality for the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) that often succeeds first line approaches in cases where these are considered unacceptable, contraindicated or ineffective (NGA UK, 2017). Studies consistently show that service users mostly benefit from relational aspects of therapy (Venturo-Conerly et al., 2020; de Vos et al., 2017; Timulak et al., 2013; Reid et al., 2008), with psychodynamic interventions emerging as superior to CBT in treating AN (Zipfel et al., 2014). For all psychological interventions for AN, there is a notable absence of rich and robust qualitative research exploring service users’ experiences of treatment (Bell; 2003; Timulak et al., 2013), and no study specifically investigates treatment experiences of FPT or AN.
The proposed study will explore treatment experiences of service users diagnosed with AN who have received FPT in an outpatient adult specialist service. Given the gap in qualitative research investigating service users’ treatment experiences of first-line treatment models and preliminary evidence of the benefits of psychodynamic psychotherapy to people with eating disorders, this study employs qualitative methods to gain deeper insight into which aspects of FPT are perceived as more helpful or unhelpful towards recovery by service users.
Twenty female participants are expected to be recruited from NHS eating disorders services. Participants must have completed FPT for AN at least three months prior to recruitment, but no longer than a year. Data will be collected via semi-structured interviews comprising questions tailored towards investigating clients’ perceptions of how helpful or unhelpful they found certain aspects of the treatment model. Data will be analysed using Thematic Analysis, a qualitative method used to examine themes and patterns of meaning within specific datasets (Braun & Clarke, 2020). Limitations of this study relate both to methodological considerations and the researcher’s own internal processes and expectations.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0063
Date of REC Opinion
10 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion