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Long‐term outcome research in anorexia nervosa: The problem of patient selection and follow‐up duration
Author(s) -
Vandereycken Walter,
Pierloot Roland
Publication year - 1983
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 - 10.1002/1098-108x(198322)2:4<237::aid-eat2260020433>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , duration (music) , psychology , outcome (game theory) , term (time) , selection (genetic algorithm) , presentation (obstetrics) , anorexia , psychiatry , pediatrics , clinical psychology , eating disorders , medicine , surgery , art , physics , literature , mathematics , mathematical economics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , computer science
The majority of follow‐up studies of anorexia nervosa patients appears to have little reliability if judged according to current research standards. Our own long‐term outcome investigation of 128 hospitalized anorexia nervosa patients revealed some problems that seem to be easily overlooked in the literature. First, we were faced with a high rate of failure in tracing patients at follow‐up. Second, our consecutive series of patients showed great differences in time span between first presentation and follow‐up assessment. The analysis of both issues—patient selection and follow‐up duration—brings out some important difficulties with regard to the interpretation of the results.