The Relationship Between Personality Psychopathology Features and Readmission Rates Among Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa Admitted to a Medical Inpatient Eating Disorder Unit.

Abstract

Many features of personality psychopathology are shared among patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), yet the impact of these shared features is not fully understood, and the impact of having more personality psychopathology features during adolescent onset of AN, especially among adolescents admitted to an inpatient eating disorder unit, has not been explored. This study evaluated how personality psychopathology, utilizing a measure of borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptom severity, has a potential predictive value in understanding risk of readmission for an eating disorder over time. A total of 256 adolescents were admitted for medical stability to an inpatient unit for the first time. Adolescents completed the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children-11 (BPFSC-11) within the first 14 days of admission; demographic variables, anxiety and mood comorbidities, and readmission status were obtained through chart review. Higher scores on the BPFSC-11 were significantly associated with being readmitted within 1 year of discharge from the inpatient unit. These findings highlight how personality psychopathology features at onset of severe AN in adolescence could indicate a higher risk for recovery complications, including repeated inpatient admission. These findings may underscore the role of supplementary therapeutic interventions alongside family-based therapy, including dialectical behavior therapy.