Aim of the study was assessing motivation to change in a clinical sample of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and its relation to specific cognitions and behaviours.

N= 77 patients with anorexia nervosa (75 female, 2 males, mean age = 15.8, SD = 1.3) were evaluated with Anorexia Nervosa Stage of Change Questionnaire (ANSOCQ) measuring motivation to recover and further questionnaires evaluating treatment and course of the disorder. The latter included Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2), the Eating Attitude Test (EAT), the Pros and Cons of Anorexia nervosa questionnaire (PCAN), and the Body Image Questionnaire (FKAN). Data were collected at treatment onset (T1), follow-up was after 12 months (T2).

At T1 motivation to change was significantly related to the EDI subscale measuring drive for thinness (p < .001) and body dissatisfaction (p< .01), to the PCAN pros scales measuring appearance (p< .01) and safe/structure (p< .01), to the EAT scale measuring dieting (p< .001) and the FKAN subscale measuring the feeling of body massivity (p< .001).The stage of motivation to change at treatment onset was very low in the sample (67% in stage 1 = precontemplation or 2 = contemplation). There was no relation between motivation at T1 and BMI at T2 but the increase of motivation between T1 and T2 predicted a better outcome (BMI at T2).

Motivation to change is related to specific cognitions and behaviours in adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa. Increase of treatment motivation during the first months of treatment seems to be predictive for outcome.