[Validation of the Essen Quality of Life-Index for Eating Disorders (ELI)]. / Validierung des Essener Lebensqualitäts-Index für Essstörungen (ELI).

The aim of this study was the validation of a short disease-specific questionnaire (ELI, Essen Quality of Life Index for Eating Disorders) to measure the health-related quality of life in patients with eating disorders. A total of 182 currently ill and former eating disordered patients and 87 healthy controls completed the ELI questionnaire as well as other reliable and valid instruments (EDQOL, SF-12, EDI-2, FKB-20, SEED, BSI, IIP-D and SOC-13). In addition, 46 eating disorder patients completed the same questionnaires at the end of therapy. The ELI proved to have a high internal consistency of α=0.96. As expected, one main factor was found with a high declaration of variance of 71.25%. There is also evidence for very good construct validity and good sensitivity for change. Therefore, the ELI is an economic, reliable and valid instrument that assesses disease-specific health-related quality of life of individuals with eating disorders. The questionnaire can be recommended for research as well as clinical care contexts.

[Is psychotherapy able to increase quality of life in individuals with eating disorders?]. / Kann Psychotherapie die Lebensqualität von Betroffenen mit Essstörungen verbessern?

Quality of life in people with mental disorders is often reduced and should be considered during therapy. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review about the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions on quality of life (QOL) in patients with eating disorders. Therefore, an electronic databases search was performed. From the results, 10 studies were included, of which 3 were randomized controlled trials. All studies varied in the interventions and outcome measures used. The results showed a significant increase of QOL through treatment. Yet, it remains unclear which factors of psychotherapy are able to increase QOL. It is recommended to conduct more randomized controlled trials using standardized outcome measures to assess long-term effects of psychotherapeutic interventions on QOL in eating disorders.

Eating disorders, trauma, PTSD, and psychosocial resources.

The frequency of traumatic events and comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women with eating disorders (ED) was assessed. Also, patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were compared; post-traumatic symptomatology and the role of psychosocial resources were analyzed. One hundred three ED patients (29.1±10.5 years) were studied through the use of standardized questionnaires. We found that 23.1% of AN and 25.5% of BN patients fulfilled the study definition for a current diagnosis of PTSD. Cumulative traumatization led to more severe symptomatology. Psychosocial resources were found to have strong associations with symptomatology. These findings provide additional support for the association between traumatization and ED. Clinical interventions for traumatized ED patients may benefit from a focus on post-traumatic stress symptomatology and personal resources.