A transcultural outcome study of adolescent eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to assess the treatment and outcome of adolescent eating disorders in an international study including Western and Eastern European clinical and research centres.


METHODS
A total of 138 patients with adolescent onset of an eating disorder (primarily anorexia nervosa) were followed-up after a mean interval of 5 years after first admission.


RESULTS
On average, the patients had spent 25% of the total follow-up period in either in-patient or out-patient treatment. Half of them required a second hospitalization and a quarter required a third hospitalization for the eating disorder. At follow-up, 68% of the total sample did not have an eating disorder. The prediction of outcome revealed different patterns of risk variables depending on the type of criterion.


CONCLUSIONS
The outcome of adolescent eating disorders is relatively similar across cultures, and better than in patients with later onset of the disorder.
Steinhausen
H C
HC
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Boyadjieva
S
S
Grigoroiu-Serbanescu
M
M
Seidel
R
R
Winkler Metzke
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D001604:Berlin / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002031:Bulgaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome