Body dissatisfaction moderates weight curves in the inpatient treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and restrictive/binge eating-purging subtype at admission moderates the weight curves of patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) over the course of inpatient treatment.

Method: The nature of weight curves, individual differences herein and moderating factors are examined in 92 AN patients by means of multilevel modeling.

Results: The average weight curve of AN patients is characterized by a linear weight increase during treatment that levels off near the end of treatment. Substantial individual differences exist in the shape of patients' weight curves. Patients with stronger body dissatisfaction at admission display a slower linear rate of weight gain over the course of treatment. Neither drive for thinness nor restrictive/binge eating-purging subtype predicted patients' weight curve over the course of treatment.

Discussion: Body dissatisfaction moderates patients' weight curves over the course of inpatient treatment but more research on factors determining weight curves is needed.