Readiness to change dietary restriction predicts outcomes in the eating disorders

This study examined the relationship between readiness and motivation to change eating disorder symptoms and clinical outcomes during and following intensive residential eating disorder treatment. Sixty-four women completed the Readiness and Motivation Interview (RMI) at baseline, and a subset of participants were reassessed at post-treatment (n=45) and at 6 month follow-up (n=38). The RMI provides readiness scores for each of four symptom domains: restriction, cognitive, bingeing, and compensatory strategies. RMI scores were used to predict decision to enroll in treatment, dropout, symptom change following treatment, and maintenance of symptom change at six-month follow-up. The extent to which participants did not want to make changes to their dietary restriction at baseline (restriction precontemplation) was the most consistent predictor of short-term clinical outcome. The extent to which participants reported changing their restriction for themselves versus others (restriction internality) predicted outcome at 6-month follow-up. These preliminary findings suggest that assessing client readiness and motivation to change dietary restriction is most useful in predicting short and long-term clinical outcomes.