ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To determine if motivation to change in anorexia nervosa during treatment is a predictor of hospitalisation in adolescent patients. METHOD: The Anorexia Nervosa Stages of Change Questionnaire (ANSOCQ), the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to a group of 70 anorexia nervosa patients (mean age 15.6 years). They were all receiving treatment at a specialised Eating Disorder Unit and were at different points in the treatment programme. Admission during 6-9 month follow-up was recorded in 63 of these patients who had been admitted to the Unit. The other 7 patients were contacted by phone to determine if they had been hospitalised in another unit during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Patients who needed hospital admission during follow-up had higher mean scores at first evaluation on some of the EDI-2 scales and on the BDI, lower ANSOCQ scores and were more likely to have been outpatients at first evaluation. In the logistic regression analysis a low ANSOCQ score and being an outpatient at first evaluation were shown to be independent predictors of hospitalisation during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Low motivation to change, depressive symptomatology and some EDI-2 scales are related to the necessity of hospital admission in adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa.
Subject(s)
Anorexia Nervosa/rehabilitation , Attitude to Health , Convalescence , Patient Admission/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hospitalization , Humans , Male , Motivation , Predictive Value of Tests , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The objective of the present study was to evaluate readiness to recover in adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa with a Spanish version of the Anorexia Nervosa Stages of Change Questionnaire (ANSOCQ). Three measures-the ANSOCQ, the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-were administered to a group of 70 anorexia nervosa patients (mean age = 15.6 yrs) who were receiving treatment at a specialized eating disorder unit and had reached different stages of the treatment programme. The ANSOCQ was administered again after one week in 42 patients to evaluate test-retest reliability. The ANSOCQ demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =.94) and one week test-retest reliability (r =.90). Negative, significant correlations were found between the ANSOCQ and several scales on the EDI-2 (r between -.50 and -.72) and the BDI (r = -.68). The Spanish version of the ANSOCQ seems a reliable instrument to evaluate readiness to recover in adolescents with anorexia nervosa.