title: Family functioning and life events in the outcome of adolescent anorexia nervosa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigates the outcome of anorexia nervosa in adolescents in relation to precipitating life events and changes in family functioning over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their mothers were administered measures of life events and family functioning at initial assessment and 1 and 2 year follow-up, when outcome was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-five per cent of patients had a good outcome. Patients from initially well-functioning families or those with precipitating life events improved more in the first year, than those with dysfunctional families or without events. Subjects perceived a deterioration in family functioning at 1 year follow-up but an improvement at 2 years. Mothers reported no changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Approximately half of a series of early onset cases of anorexia nervosa can be expected to recover by 2 years. Healthy family functioning and presence of a precipitating life event predict good short-term outcome. The relationships between subjects' perceptions of family functioning and their recovery from anorexia nervosa is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Manchester.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: North
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gowers
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Byram
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011379:Prognosis