Grenon R, et al. – This paper appraised the effect of group psychotherapy in comparison with both wait–list controls and other active therapies for adults with eating disorders (EDs). It was determined that group psychotherapy was as effective as other common treatments. It was found to be more cost–effective than the most popular treatment, individual psychotherapy. Only 8.33% of comparisons in the current meta–analysis reported a minimum of 80% power to detect a moderate effect (d = .50). Additional studies were warranted to assess other group psychotherapy approaches, along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to yield more evidence–based therapeutic options for individuals with an ED.

Methods

• This research inspected 27 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that illustrate direct comparisons with 1,853 enrollees.

Results

• Group psychotherapy was reported to be notably more effective than wait-list controls at achieving abstinence rates of binge eating and/or purging (RR = 5.51, 95% CI: 3.73, 8.12), decreasing the frequency of binge eating and/or purging (g = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.90), and reducing related ED psychopathology (g = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.66) after the therapy.
• The effects of group psychotherapy and other active treatments (e.g., behavioral weight loss, self-help, individual psychotherapy) did not vary on any outcome at post-treatment or at follow-ups.
• Group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of group psychotherapy did not vary considerably on outcomes at any time point.