Rituals and preoccupations associated with bulimia nervosa in adolescents: Does motivation to change matter?

This study evaluated the effects of two treatments for adolescent bulimia nervosa (BN), family‐based treatment (FBT‐BN), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT‐A), on both attitudinal and behavioural outcomes at end‐of‐treatment. These associations were examined specifically relative to motivation for change in obsessive–compulsive (OC) features of eating disorder (ED) symptoms. Adolescents (N = 110) were randomly assigned to FBT‐BN or CBT‐A and completed assessments of eating pathology and OC‐ED behaviour. Across both treatments, greater motivation for change in OC‐ED behaviour was associated with improved attitudinal features of ED at end‐of‐treatment. Motivation for change did not demonstrate a direct or interaction effect on BN behavioural outcomes. Results suggest that adolescents with BN who are more motivated to change OC‐ED behaviours at the start of treatment, FBT‐BN or CBT‐A, are more likely to demonstrate improvements in cognitions, but not behaviours associated with EDs, at treatment conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]