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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
Published on: August 21, 2015
Clinical characteristics associated with premature termination from outpatient psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa
Jennifer Jordan1, Virginia V W McIntosh, Frances A Carter
1Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand; Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Aim:
The literature on clinical characteristics associated with premature termination of treatment (PTT) is beset with conflicting and non-replicated findings. This study explores clinical characteristics potentially associated with PTT in a randomised controlled outpatient psychotherapy trial for anorexia nervosa (AN).
Methods:
Participants were 56 women aged 17-40 years with spectrum AN. The completer group (n = 35) included those completing at least 15/20 planned sessions with the remainder of the sample comprising the PTT group (n = 21). Variables examined included demographic factors, psychosocial functioning, psychiatric history, lifetime comorbidity, temperament and eating disorder characteristics. Logistic regression was used to examine significant variables. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to illustrate time taken to PTT.
Results:
The mean number of sessions in the PTT group was 8.1. Lower self-transcendence scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory were associated with PTT.
Conclusions:
Recognising and addressing personality factors have the potential to enhance retention in treatment.
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