A comparison of lenient and strict operant conditioning programmes in refeeding patients with anorexia nervosa.
The present paper compares a lenient and a strict operant conditioning programme in refeeding patients with anorexia nervosa. Sixty-five consecutive in-patients participated in the study. We found no significant difference in the rate of weight-gain between the two treatments. There were, however, a number of practical advantages in using the more lenient programme: it was more economical of nursing time, and patients were more accessible to psychotherapy. The programme was also more acceptable to the patients.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001835:Body Weight; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance