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

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.