Quality of Life Across the Anorexia Nervosa Spectrum: A Comparative Study of Current, Weight-Restored, and Healthy Individuals

Int J Eat Disord. 2025 Jul 18. doi: 10.1002/eat.24506. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious mental illness that can greatly impact quality of life (QoL). While research suggests that health-related QoL is poor in current AN, limited studies have examined QoL in those recovering from AN. This study aimed to investigate health-related QoL in people with current AN, those weight-restored from AN, and healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS: Participants were 15 women with current AN, 12 weight-restored women, and 15 HC women. Health-related QoL was assessed using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D). Group differences were analyzed using analyses of variance with a priori contrasts.

RESULTS: The current AN group scored significantly lower than the weight-restored AN and HC groups on the AQoL-8D subscales of independent living, mental health, happiness, relationships, and self-worth. The weight-restored AN group scored equivalently to HCs in QoL. No group differences were found for the pain subscale.

DISCUSSION: Findings highlight the substantial impact of AN on QoL and the potential for QoL to improve with recovery, which could motivate treatment engagement.

PMID:40878916 | DOI:10.1002/eat.24506