Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore changes in the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) following a family-based intervention in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders (ED). It was hypothesized that compulsive exercise would improve with successful intervention against the ED but also that a high level of compulsive exercise at presentation would be associated with a less favourable outcome.MethodThe CET, the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), and body mass index were available for 170 adolescents at presentation and at a one-year follow-up. Treatment was a family-based intervention and included that all exercise was stopped at start of treatment. Recovery was defined as EDE-Q score < 2.0 or absence of an ED at an interview.ResultsExercise for weight control and for avoiding low mood, which are related to ED cognitions, decreased in recovered patients. Exercise for improving mood did not change in either recovered or not recovered patients. The CET subscale scores at presentation did not independently predict recovery.ConclusionCompulsive exercise is one of several ED related behaviours which needs to be targeted at the start of treatment. With successful treatment it decreases in parallel with other ED related cognitions and behaviours but without a loss of the ability to enjoy exercise.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to explore changes in the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) following a family-based intervention in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders (ED)
Exercise for weight control and for avoiding low mood, which are related to ED cognitions, decreased in recovered patients
Compulsive exercise is one of several ED related behaviours which needs to be targeted at the start of treatment
Summary
The aim of this study was to explore changes in the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) following a family-based intervention in adolescents with restrictive eating disorders (ED). More recently it has been established that compulsive exercise is associated with strong ED cognitions [1,2,3, 5,6,7] and that it influences treatment outcome negatively [8, 9]. The CET subscales for (2018) 6:55 weight control exercise and for avoidance of negative mood are strongly correlated with ED cognitions in non-clinical samples [10, 12, 13] and in adolescents with ED [14, 15]. Considering that the different cognitive aspects of exercise are not all correlated with ED cognitions it is conceivable that an intervention against the ED affects them differently
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