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Predictors of rapid and sustained response to cognitive‐behavioral therapy for bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Bulik Cynthia M.,
Sullivan Patrick F.,
Carter Frances A.,
McIntosh Virginia V.,
Joyce Peter R.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199909)26:2<137::aid-eat2>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , harm avoidance , abstinence , psychology , eating disorders , comorbidity , temperament and character inventory , cognitive behavioral therapy , clinical psychology , temperament , psychiatry , personality , randomized controlled trial , eating disorder inventory , cognition , anorexia nervosa , medicine , social psychology
Objective To examine characteristics of individuals who show a rapid and sustained response to cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN). Method As part of a randomized clinical trial designed to dismantle CBT for BN, we compared 19 individuals who exhibited complete abstinence from binging and purging after only eight sessions of CBT and maintained abstinence throughout the duration of treatment and the 1‐year follow‐up interval, to 79 individuals who had a more variable response to treatment. Demographics, baseline clinical characteristics, lifetime comorbidity, and personality disorder symptoms and profiles from the Temperament and Character Inventory were examined. Results In univariate analyses, frequency of binging and purging at baseline, low scores on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) Bulimia subscale, lower harm avoidance, and higher self‐directedness were associated with rapid response. In multiple regression analyses, frequency of binging at baseline (OR = 0.87; 95% CI 0.77–0.98) and self‐directedness (OR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.04–1.21) independently predicted rapid and sustained treatment response. Conclusion Frequency of binging and the character quality of self‐directedness may be useful predictors of those individuals who are likely to respond positively to a brief course of CBT for BN. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 26: 137–144, 1999.