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Vanzhula I, Hagan K, Duck SA, Pan I, Wang EY, Steinglass J, Attia E, Wildes JE, Guarda AS, Schreyer C. Eating disorder symptom non-endorsers in hospitalised patients with anorexia nervosa: Who are they? Eur Eat Disord Rev 2024. [PMID: 38528330 DOI: 10.1002/erv.3087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Impaired insight and illness denial are common in anorexia nervosa (AN). Missing an AN diagnosis may delay treatment and negatively impact outcomes. METHOD The current retrospective study examined the prevalence and characteristics of AN symptom non-endorsement (i.e., scoring within the normal range on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire [EDE-Q] or the Eating Disorder Examination [EDE] interview) in three independent samples of hospitalised patients with AN (N1 = 154; N2 = 300; N3 = 194). A qualitative chart review of a subsample of non-endorsers (N4 = 32) extracted reports of disordered eating behaviours observed by the treatment team. RESULTS The prevalence of non-endorsement ranged from 11% to 34% across sites. Non-endorsers were more likely to be diagnosed with AN restricting type (AN-R) and reported fewer symptoms of co-occurring psychopathology than endorsers. Groups benefitted equally from treatment. The qualitative chart review indicated that objective symptoms of AN were recorded by staff in over 90% of non-endorsers. CONCLUSIONS Eating disorder symptom assessments using the EDE-Q or EDE may miss symptomatology in up to a third of individuals hospitalised with AN. This study highlights the potential utility of multi-modal assessment including patient interviews, collateral informants, and behavioural observation to circumvent non-endorsement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Vanzhula
- University of Kansas, LifeSpan Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kelsey Hagan
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia, New York, USA
| | - Sarah Ann Duck
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Isabella Pan
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Erin Y Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Joanna Steinglass
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia, New York, USA
| | - Evelyn Attia
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia, New York, USA
| | - Jennifer E Wildes
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Angela S Guarda
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Colleen Schreyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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