Testing a maintenance model for eating disorders in a sample seeking treatment at a tertiary care center: a structural equation modeling approach

Abstract Fairburn et al (Fairburn, CG, Cooper, Z, Shafran, R. Behav Res Ther 2003;41:509-528) proposed additional maintenance mechanisms (ie, interpersonal difficulties, mood intolerance, low self-esteem, and perfectionism) for some individuals with eating disorders in addition to core eating disorder psychopathology (ie, overevaluation of eating, weight, and shape and their control). This is the first study to both elaborate and test this maintenance model as a structural model. Adults seeking treatment of an eating disorder (N = 1451) at a specialized tertiary care center were included in this cross-sectional study. In the first part of the study, diagnostically heterogeneous participants (n = 406) were randomly selected to test a structural model based on the maintenance model. In the second part of the study, remaining participants (n = 1045) were grouped according to eating disorder diagnosis to test for invariance of the structural paths of the final model across diagnoses. Overall, the structural model with core and additional mechanisms fit the data well and, with 1 exception, represented maintenance processes for each of the diagnostic groups. Treatment models based on both core and additional maintenance factors for those seeking therapy at a specialized tertiary care center may result in improved treatment outcomes for these patients with eating disorders.