[The effects of psychodynamic inpatient treatments on personality data of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa - results of the German multicenter study (TR-EAT)].

OBJECTIVES

How are the effects of a psychodynamic inpatient treatment on personality data of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa? In how many patients can a successful change in the personality area be observed?

METHODS

732 patients were assessed at the beginning and the end of an inpatient treatment as well as 2 1/2 years after this treatment. Data were collected by means of the personality inventories "Freiburger Persoenlichkeitsinventar (FPI-R)" and "Narzissmusinventar". A definition of success was constructed using the clinical significance concept. It is related to the scales life satisfaction, inhibition (FPI-R), powerless self and negative body self (Narzissmusinventar).

RESULTS

The results in both questionnaires show the clinically well known psychopathology characteristics of eating disorder patients. During the inpatient treatment and also afterwards, there are improvements in the personality data, but not to the extent of the values obtained from a healthy control group. In the outcome measure, one third of the patients experienced remarkable improvements. The success in the personality area is positively correlated to the success in the eating disorder symptoms. This success could not be predicted by initial data or by therapy data.

CONCLUSIONS

There are marked impairments of the patients in the personality data. Changes in this domain take time and are rather small.