Acute Augmentations to Psychological Therapies in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the use and efficacy of acute augmentation therapies in eating disorders.

A meta-analysis addressing this topic across psychological disorders found augmentation significantly improved therapy outcome with strongest findings for augmentations targeting biological mechanisms; however, only one study examined eating disorders.

Our systematic review identified 29 studies examining people with eating disorders (N = 1831 participants, 93.7% female), of which 17 RCTs (n = 1162 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. Small subgroups of acute augmentations were identified. Adding acute augmentations to an intervention was effective in 72.4% of studies, with a significant effect on eating disorder outcomes (Hedges’ g = 0.14, 95% CI: [0.02, 0.26]). Acute augmentation looks to be a promising approach regardless of weight status or whether it is added to treatment as usual or a single therapy approach.