No abstract

Despite the sometimes chronic nature of AN, most patients fell into one of the two favorable response trajectories. The identification of these trajectories underscores the importance of considering the core disordered eating behaviors (i.e., restricting, binge eating, and purging), comorbid psychopathology, and parental expressed emotion.

Family-based treatment principles have been incorporated into higher levels of care. However, outcome data for these programs, and, in particular, follow-up data, are limited. The current study assessed 3-month follow-up data for patients in a family-based partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient program. Patients completed measures of eating disorder psychopathology and depression, while parents completed measures of self-efficacy and expressed emotion. With the exception of paternal self-efficacy, all measures stayed the same or improved between end of treatment and follow-up, suggesting that improvements in a family-based higher level of care can be sustained once families step down to less intensive treatment.

No abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relation between parental psychopathology, parental expressed emotion, and patient symptom severity. One hundred twenty-six parents of 79 patients receiving treatment for an eating disorder completed measures of expressed emotion and general psychopathology, and patients completed a measure of eating disorder psychopathology. Mothers reported higher expressed emotion scores than fathers. Both mothers and fathers scored higher on general psychopathology compared to nonpatient population means. Maternal psychopathology was found to be associated with symptom severity. Parental psychopathology and expressed emotion were found to be related, and MANCOVAs revealed that maternal criticism and maternal psychopathology were associated with patient symptom severity, but fathers' scores on the same measures were not. It is recommended that parental expressed emotion and parental psychopathology are assessed at the beginning of treatment so that appropriate clinical interventions can be utilized.