Psychological adjustment in patients with anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder following a 3-week inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation program

This study examined changes in psychological adjustment among patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED) following a 3-week inpatient multidisciplinary (disease-tailored) rehabilitation program. Methods: twenty consecutive Italian female adults with a diagnosis of AN (mean age ± SD: 25.9 ± 9.4 years; mean Body Mass Index: BMI: kg/m2: 15.8 ± 1.61) and fifteen consecutive Italian female adults with diagnosis of BED (mean age ± SD: 43.5 ± 15.3 years; mean Body Mass Index: BMI: kg/m2: 41.1 ± 7.82) were admitted to the study. Psychological functioning and wellbeing were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Psychological General Well-Being Index. Results: Significant improvements in emotional symptoms [F(1, 31) = 21.1973, p < 0.001, ƞ2p = 0.406] and overall psychologicalfunctioning [F(1, 31) = 10.0062, p = 0.373, ƞ2p = 0.026] were observed in both groups, with the most pronounced changes in internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. Changes in BMI were significantly associated with emotional symptoms,vitality [F(1, 31) = 4.89, p = 0.035, ƞ2p = 0.136], and total well-being scores [F(1, 31) = 6.341, p = 0.017, ƞ2p = 0.170]. By contrast, no significant changes were observed in domains such as behavioral problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer relationships, probably indicating the need for more prolonged and targeted, domain-specific interventions. Conclusions:A 3-week inpatient multidisciplinary program was associated with improvements in internalizing symptoms and psychological well-being in women with AN and BED. Domains such as behavioral regulation and social functioning showed limited change,indicating the need for longer and targeted psychosocial components. These data cannot be made publicly available as they include sensitive information, but they can be made available upon reasonable request of interested researchers to the corresponding author, who will forward a data transfer agreement request to the relevant Ethical Committee. Requests can be addressed to Dr. Alessandro Sartorio ([email protected]).