Readiness to Change Dietary Restriction Predicts Outcomes in the Eating Disorders

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Abstract
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 6month 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.