Home > Transitions for youth and young adults with eating disorders and/or other mental health conditions: a Canadian guideline.

Dimitropoulos, Gina and Nicula, Maria and Krishnapillai, Andrea and Austin, Amelia and Singh, Manya and Lee, Jayden and Webb, Cheryl and Scott, Sela and de Almeida, Ana Cláudia Vieira and Bergmann, Clara and Vander Steen, Heidi and Kimber, Melissa and Mushquash, Christopher and Norman, Lia and Sauerwein, Jessica and Keshen, Aaron and Boachie, Ahmed and Toulany, Alène and Levinson, Andrea and Federici, Anita and Allemang, Brooke and Ford, Catherine and Katzman, Debra K and Tam, Emily and McVey, Gail and Steiger, Howard and Scarborough, Jennifer and Coelho, Jennifer S and Thannhauser, Jennifer and Geller, Josie and Darnay, Karleigh and Henderson, Jo and Bright, Katherine and Soper, Katie and Isserlin, Leanna and Booij, Linda and Brouwers, Melissa and Laliberté, Michele and Jericho, Monique and Obeid, Nicole and Smith, Sarah and Grewal, Seena and MacEachern, Shauna and Findlay, Sheri and Preskow, Wendy and Spettigue, Wendy and Maharaj, Aryel and Wozney, Lori and Iyer, Srividya and Norris, Mark and Vallianatos, Helen and Jones, Shaleen and Lacroix, Emilie and Ferrari, Manuela and Steinegger, Cathleen and Loewen, Techiya and Gusella, Joanne and LeClerc, Anick and Johnson, Natasha and Phillips, Suzanne and Patton, Megan and Punjwani, Zoya and Greer, Katelyn and Bhatnagar, Neera and Couturier, Jennifer (2025) Transitions for youth and young adults with eating disorders and/or other mental health conditions: a Canadian guideline. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13, 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01343-6.

External website: https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1...

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (EDs) are severe mental illnesses with high rates of mortality, morbidity, and reduced quality of life. Their onset occurs during adolescence and early adulthood, coinciding with the critical transition from pediatric to adult care. To address the lack of guidelines to support ED transitions in Canada, this study developed evidence-based guideline recommendations.

METHODS: Scoping review methodology was employed using comprehensive searches across seven databases, supplemented by forward and backward citation chaining to identify records on youth and young adults (YYAs) (16-25 years) with EDs and/or mental health conditions transitioning from pediatric to adult care. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence for applicable studies. Using a modified Delphi method, the evidence was reviewed by a guideline development panel and consensus was achieved in a single round of voting.

RESULTS: After de-duplication, 14,350 records from all sources were screened, with 1817 studies undergoing full-text review. A total of 419 studies were included. Of these, 199 were primary research studies which fell under one or more of the following categories: descriptive (n = 86), qualitative (n = 75), predictors (n = 48), transition interventions (n = 21), measurement tools (n = 8), and key outcomes (n = 3). The certainty of the evidence for specific interventions and tools was generally low.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The panel issued strong recommendations for integrated, collaborative transition approaches involving YYAs, families, and providers, and for the use of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) to support transition planning. Additional recommendations are included, with an emphasis on future research focused on long-term outcomes such as care continuity and treatment retention.

CONCLUSION: This research addressed the absence of a cohesive approach to transitions for YYAs experiencing EDs and/or mental health conditions, highlighting evidence variability and the need for a unified approach. These guidelines propose actionable steps for improving care transitions for YYAs with EDs and/or mental health conditions by promoting collaborative care models, prioritizing outcome-focused research, and using measurement tools.


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