The Role of Weight Suppression in Intensive Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: A Longitudinal Study

Simona Calugi (), Anna Dalle Grave, Maddalena Conti, Laura Dametti, Mirko Chimini and Riccardo Dalle Grave
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Simona Calugi: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy
Anna Dalle Grave: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy
Maddalena Conti: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy
Laura Dametti: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy
Mirko Chimini: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy
Riccardo Dalle Grave: Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital, Via Monte Baldo 89, 37016 Garda, VR, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-9

Abstract: The study aimed to establish the role of weight suppression in a cohort of adolescents with anorexia nervosa treated with intensive enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E). One hundred and twenty-eight adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa (128 females and 2 males), aged between 14 and 19 years, were recruited from consecutive referrals to a community-based eating disorder clinic offering intensive CBT-E. Weight, height, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and Brief Symptom Inventory scores were recorded at admission, end-of-treatment, and at a 20-week follow-up. In addition, the developmental weight suppression (DWS, difference between one’s highest premorbid and current z-BMI, i.e., BMI z-scores) was calculated. The mean baseline z-BMI was −4.01 (SD = 2.27), and the mean DWS was 4.2 (SD = 2.3). One hundred and seven patients (83.4%) completed the treatment and showed both considerable weight gain and reduced scores for eating-disorder and general psychopathology. Among completers, 72.9% completed the 20-week follow-up and maintained the improvement reached at the end-of-treatment. DWS was negatively correlated with end-of-treatment and follow-up z-BMI. This indicates that weight suppression is a predictor of the BMI outcome of intensive CBT-E and confirms that this treatment is promising for adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

Keywords: adolescents; inpatient treatment; cognitive behavioural therapy; treatment outcomes; weight suppression; anorexia nervosa; BMI (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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