METHODS article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Eating Behavior
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Approaches of Care in Eating Disorders: The Interdisciplinary Intervention With FamiliesView all 5 articles
Effectiveness of Temperament Based Therapy with Support (TBT-S): A randomized controlled trial (RCT) study protocol
Provisionally accepted
Kristin Stedal*
Ingrid Funderud- Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Abstract Background Temperament-Based Therapy with Support (TBT-S) is a neurobiologically informed, skills-based intervention for eating disorders in which individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and their supports participate together in a multi-family group format over five consecutive days. The program is delivered as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU). Although prior studies have demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and promising outcomes of TBT-S, its effectiveness remains uncertain, as no previous studies have included a control group. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of TBT-S by determining whether adding TBT-S to TAU is superior to TAU alone. Methods In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, 140 adults with a diagnosis of AN will be randomized to receive either TBT-S in addition to TAU or TAU alone. Individuals with AN and their supports will complete assessments before and after the TBT-S treatment week, and at 3-and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcome is change in eating disorder symptomatology from baseline to the 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include changes in quality of life, psychological health, body mass index (BMI), and health care utilization, as well as changes in quality of life and caregiving experience among supports. Discussion If TBT-S is found to be effective in reducing eating disorder psychopathology, it may represent a valuable and scalable adjunct to standard treatment for adults with AN.
Keywords: Anorexia Nervosa, Eating Disorders, Family-Based Treatment, randomized controlled trial, TBT-S, temperament-based treatment
Received: 28 Oct 2025; Accepted: 11 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Stedal and Funderud. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kristin Stedal
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