Links between eating disorder symptom severity, comorbid psychopathology, and risk for hospital readmission among inpatient adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Early identification of factors that predict readmission could enhance treatment planning and reduce re-hospitalization. This study evaluated the predictive value of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) for inpatient readmission for adolescents with AN. This retrospective longitudinal study included 226 adolescent participants admitted to an inpatient eating disorder unit. Adolescents completed the EDE-Q within the first 14 days of admission; demographic variables, anxiety and mood comorbidities, and readmission status within 1 year of discharge were obtained through chart review. While higher scores on the EDE-Q global score and subscales for Eating, Shape, and Weight Concerns were significantly associated with readmission, when controlling for demographic variables and length of hospital stay in multivariate regressions, both Eating Concerns and Weight Concerns subscales were trending toward significance (<i>p</i> = .11, <i>p</i> = .06, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for demographic variables showed that higher scores on the EDE-Q global score, and Eating Concern, Shape Concern, and Weight Concern subscales were associated with increased odds of comorbid mood or anxiety disorders with an OR of 1.27 (1.03, 1.57), <i>p</i> = .02; OR of 1.47 (CI 1.17, 1.83), <i>p</i> = .001; OR 1.27 (CI 1.05, 1.54), <i>p</i> = .02; and OR 1.22 (CI 1.02, 1.47), <i>p</i> = .03, respectively. These findings underscore how self-report measures like the EDE-Q can highlight more complex psychopathology with regard to comorbidities. Future research with larger sample sizes will be necessary to establish the predictive validity of the EDE-Q for readmissions of adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa.