Aileen Whyte, PhD

All Publications

• Family vs Individual Treatment for Children With Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Lock, J., Matheson, B., Jo, B., Bohon, C., Datta, N., Whyte, A., Boyce, H., Gurcan, H. Y., Cogburn, A. E., Kim, B. 2026

  Abstract

  To examine the comparative efficacy of Family-based Treatment for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (FBT-ARFID) to individual Psychoeducational Motivational Therapy (PMT) for underweight children with ARFID between the ages of 6 and 12 years of age. The main outcome evaluated was the difference between groups on change in percent estimated body weight (%EBW) from baseline (BL) to end of treatment (EOT).Ninety-eight children with ARFID were randomized to 14 sessions over 4 months of telehealth FBT-ARFID or PMT. Assessments of weight/height, eating-related cognitions, and behaviors associated with ARFID were collected online at BL, 1 month, 2 months, and EOT by assessors masked to treatment condition.FBT-ARFID was superior to PMT at the EOT in promoting increased %EBW. There were no differences between groups on improvements in overall severity of ARFID symptoms or other related ARFID symptoms; however, BL severity of ARFID symptoms moderated the effect, with children who were most symptomatic improving significantly more in FBT-ARFID than in PMT (exploratory analyses).FBT-ARFID is superior to PMT for promoting weight gain in low-weight children with ARFID, especially for those children with greater severity of ARFID symptoms.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jaac.2026.04.007

  View details for PubMedID 42019720

• Providers' perspectives on clinical case consultation following online training in family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa. Journal of eating disorders Matheson, B., Cogburn, A., Whyte, A., Le Grange, D., Lock, J. 2025

  Abstract

  Online training programs offer accessible, cost-effective solutions to disseminate evidence-based interventions. Yet, online training is typically insufficient without additional clinical case consultation (CCC). This is particularly salient in adolescent eating disorders treatment, where clinical demand far outstrips capacities of providers trained in evidence-based treatment approaches. This study seeks to better understand attitudes and barriers to receiving CCC among private practice clinicians treating adolescent eating disorders.Licensed private practice clinicians (n = 47; 100% female, average age 36 y old; 75% master's degree; average of 4y experience) across the United States enrolled in a randomized trial offering online training (webinar or e-learning) in family-based treatment (FBT) for anorexia nervosa. Post online training, participants were asked before and after 12 sessions of expert CCC to self-report attitudes and barriers to obtaining CCC.Prior to CCC, participants rated expert CCC in learning FBT as important/very important (100%). The majority participated in CCC since licensure (82%) and in the last year (68%), rating it valuable or very valuable (77%). Participants predicted that CCC would be valuable (96%) and an important motivation in completing the training study (96%). After CCC, participants viewed CCC as important/very important in learning FBT (94%). Common obstacles included finding a study-eligible patient (44%), scheduling constraints (19%), lost wages (16%), mismatch with consultant (3%), and hesitation to discuss cases (3%).Clinicians reported favorable perspectives on CCC in complimenting learning FBT via online training. Future studies are needed to determine methods to deliver, assess, and scale CCC to enhance treatment fidelity.

  View details for DOI 10.1186/s40337-025-01511-8

  View details for PubMedID 41476312

• Enhancing Distress Tolerance Skills in Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa Through the BALANCE Mobile App: Feasibility and Acceptability Study. JMIR formative research Miranda, C., Matheson, B., Datta, N., Whyte, A., Yang, H. J., Schmiedmayer, P., Ravi, V., Aalami, O., Lock, J. 2025; 9: e70278

  Abstract

  Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychiatric disorder with high morbidity and mortality, particularly among adolescents. Family-based treatment (FBT) is the leading evidence-based intervention for adolescent anorexia nervosa, involving parents in renourishment and behavior interruption. Despite its effectiveness, challenges in distress tolerance and emotion regulation during high-stress situations, such as mealtimes, contribute to suboptimal treatment outcomes, with only 35% to 50% of adolescents achieving full recovery. Enhancing distress tolerance skills during FBT may improve treatment responses and recovery rates. The BALANCE mobile app was developed to address this need, offering real-time, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-based distress tolerance skills to support adolescents and families during mealtimes.Our aim was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile app designed to deliver distress tolerance skills to adolescents with and adolescents without anorexia nervosa. When fully programmed and optimized, we plan to use the mobile app to improve distress tolerance during mealtimes for adolescents with anorexia nervosa undergoing FBT.BALANCE was developed collaboratively with Stanford University's Center for Biodesign, leveraging the expertise of clinical psychologists and using biodesign student input and the Stanford Spezi ecosystem. The app underwent an iterative development process, with feedback from adolescent users. The initial feasibility and acceptability of the app were assessed through self-reported questionnaires and structured interviews with 24 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, including 4 diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and 20 healthy controls. Adolescents with anorexia nervosa specifically used the app during mealtimes, and healthy controls used it as needed. Participants assessed the app's usability, perceived effectiveness, and its impact on their distress tolerance.The app demonstrated high usability and acceptability. Of 24 participants, 83% (n=20) reported enjoying the app, 88% (n=21) would recommend it to peers, and 100% (n=24) found it user-friendly. Adolescents with anorexia nervosa reported that BALANCE helped them manage stressful mealtimes more effectively, highlighting features such as guided meditation, breathing exercises, and gamification elements as particularly effective. Healthy controls provided additional feedback, confirming the app's broad appeal to the target audience and potential scalability. Preliminary findings suggest that BALANCE may enhance distress tolerance in adolescents with and adolescents without anorexia nervosa.BALANCE shows promise as an innovative mobile health intervention for enhancing distress tolerance in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Its user-friendly design and tailored DBT-based skills make it a feasible tool for integration into FBT. Future research should explore its integration into clinical practice and its impact on treatment outcomes. As distress tolerance skills are relevant to a range of mental health conditions, future research may also expand BALANCE's application to broader adolescent populations.

  View details for DOI 10.2196/70278

  View details for PubMedID 40019817

• Feasibility and acceptability of a pilot studying investigating multi-family parent-only guided self-help family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa. The International journal of eating disorders Matheson, B. E., Van Wye, E., Whyte, A., Lock, J. 2024

  Abstract

  Family-based treatment (FBT) is an efficacious treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN). A parent-only guided self-help version of FBT (GSH-FBT) demonstrated preliminary efficacy in pilot investigations. To address challenges in access to care, we adapted GSH-FBT into a parent-only multi-family group format (MF-GSH-FBT) delivered via videoconferencing.This report details the feasibility and acceptability of a parent-only group-based multi-family GSH-FBT (MF-GSH-FBT) for adolescent AN delivered virtually. The MF-GSH-FBT intervention consisted of 12 weekly 60-min sessions facilitated by a clinician in addition to online FBT video content and recommended readings. Adolescents and parents completed assessments at baseline and post-treatment. Parents reported their child's weight each week.A total of 13 adolescents (15.57 + 1.63 years; 92% female; 23% Hispanic) with AN and their parents enrolled and initiated treatment. Four consecutive cohorts of groups of 3-4 families were completed from April 2022 to April 2023. Across cohorts, parents attended 85% of sessions. Most parents rated the treatment sessions as helpful (79%; agree/strongly agree) and felt supported by the other group members (84%). All parents (100%) reported MF-GSH-FBT helped their child, and most (90%) reported their child had improved by end-of-treatment. On average, adolescents gained 3.53 kg (SD: 3.76) from pre- to post-treatment, with percent estimated mean body weight increasing 5% on average. Parental self-efficacy also increased from baseline to end-of-treatment.MF-GSH-FBT for AN appears feasible and acceptable to parents participating in this pilot study. Challenges with recruitment and adolescent data collection remain questions for future investigation.This study describes initial pilot testing of a virtual guided self-help family-based treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa delivered in a multi-family group format. This treatment aims to enhance access to family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa whilst providing additional support to parents.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/eat.24182

  View details for PubMedID 38419434

• Family Based Treatment for Eating Disorders Piece by Piece. A Practical Guide for Parents James, L., Aileen, W., Brittany, M., Nandini, D. Routledge. 2024

  View details for DOI 10.4324/9781003353041

• Externalisation in family-based treatment of anorexia nervosa: The therapist's experience JOURNAL OF FAMILY THERAPY Lonergan, K., Whyte, A., Ryan, C. 2022; 44 (3): 351-369

  View details for DOI 10.1111/1467-6427.12380

  View details for Web of Science ID 000844229000001