Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: Outcomes and predictors of change in a real-world setting.

Abstract

The study aimed to establish the outcomes and predictors of change in a cohort of adolescents with anorexia nervosa treated via enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) in a real-world clinical setting. Forty-nine adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa were recruited from consecutive referrals to a clinical eating disorder service offering outpatient CBT-E. Body Mass Index centiles and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Brief Symptom Inventory, and Clinical Impairment Assessment scores were recorded at admission, at the end of treatment, and at 20-week follow-up. Thirty-five patients (71.4%) who finished the program showed both considerable weight gain and reduced scores for clinical impairment and eating disorder and general psychopathology. Changes remained stable at 20 weeks. No baseline predictors of drop-out or treatment outcomes were detected. Based on these results, CBT-E seems suitable for adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa seeking treatment in a real-world clinical setting.