Readiness to recover in adolescent anorexia nervosa: prediction of hospital admission.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if motivation to change in anorexia nervosa during treatment is a predictor of hospitalisation in adolescent patients.


METHODS
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.
Ametller
L
L
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Spain.
Castro
J
J
Serrano
E
E
Martínez
E
E
Toro
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003289:Convalescence; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires