Qualitative research in adolescent psychotherapy: Attachment and Reflective Functioning as psychotherapy outcomes of an adolescent with anorexia nervosa

The aim of this study was to examine both the change in attachment state of mind and mentalization competencies as outcomes of a two-year weekly psychodynam-ic psychotherapy of a female adolescent with anorexia nervosa. The Attachment Inter-view for Childhood and Adolescence (AICA) was administered at pre and post-treatment, and coded both with the attachment coding system and the Reflective Func-tioning (RF) scale. At the pre-treatment, the anorexic adolescent was assessed as inse-cure-dismissing with very low level of RF, while in the post-treatment a secure attach-ment model and higher RF were highlighted. The AICA can be considered a useful method to assess the outcomes in adolescent psychotherapy, like the AAI is useful in adult psychotherapy.