The association between childhood traumatic events and weight restoration in adult anorexia nervosa inpatient treatment: a longitudinal study

Abstract Purpose To examine the association between childhood traumatic events and weight restoration during specialized inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods Within this naturalistic prospective exploratory single-center study, patients with AN were recruited between 2014 and 2019 from a specialized eating disorder inpatient unit. Childhood traumatic events were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed via a clinical interview. A mixed linear model was used to analyze associations between childhood traumatic events and weight restoration, while adjusting for the confounders AN subtype, medication, psychological comorbidities, gender and age. Results Sixty patients with AN (mean age 24.60 years, SD = 7.60; 95% female; 77% restricting subtype) participated. The mean body mass index (BMI) increase after 12 weeks was 2.48 kg/m2 (SD = 0.88). Six patients (10%) were diagnosed with PTSD. The mean CTQ-SF sum score was 43.78 (SD = 18.00), and 17 patients (28.33%) indicated a relevant exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). There were no relevant associations between childhood traumatic events and weight restoration during inpatient treatment (CTQ-SF b = 0.00, 95% CI [−0.02, 0.02]; ACE b = −0.04, 95% CI [−0.16, 0.07]). Conclusion In our sample childhood traumatic events were not associated with weight restoration during inpatient treatment for AN. Given the low prevalence of childhood traumatic events in the present sample, further studies are recommended to explore the potential impact of childhood traumatic events on weight restoration in AN to optimize clinical outcomes. Level of evidence Level III: evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies.