Are Prognostic Nutritional Index Levels Associated with Prognosis in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa?

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 03 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.02

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Are Prognostic Nutritional Index Levels Associated with Prognosis in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa?

Anoreksiya Nervosa Hastalığı Olan Ergenlerde Prognostik Nutrisyonel Endeks Düzeyleri Prognoz ile İlişkili midir?

Özge Asena Duygu¹ , Serkan Turan² , Şafak Eray Çamlı² , Zeynep Gizem Ergün Özdel³ , Caner Mutlu²

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prognostic nutritional index (PNI) levels and sociodemographic data, disease characteristics, comorbidity, and prognosis in children and adolescents diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN). The study included 45 patients diagnosed with AN and 42 healthy controls. The researcher administered the Sociodemographic Data Form, the Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Interview Schedule for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS), the General Assessment Scale for Children (CGAS) to both groups, and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-SS) to the patient group. Eating Attitude Test (EAT), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Self-Reflection and Insight Scale, The Revised Child Anxiety Depression Scale–Child Version (RCADS-CV), Leyton Obsession Inventory-Child Version (LOE-CV), Parental Autonomy Support Scale (PASS), and Shortened Level of Expressed Emotion Scale (SLEES) were completed by participants. In the patient group, PNI levels were significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). A negative correlation was found between symptom severity scores and PNI levels (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between body mass index (BMI) and PNI levels (p=0.05). PNI levels were significantly lower in those with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide attempts compared to those without (p< 0.05). In children and adolescents diagnosed with AN, PNI levels were not associated with exiting the diagnostic criteria but may be associated with disease severity, BMI, comorbid MDD, NSSI, and suicide attempt. Therefore, it was thought that PNI levels may be an indirect prognostic factor for AN in children and adolescents.

Keywords: Prognostic nutritional index, Anorexia nervosa, Non-suicidal self-injury, Suicide attempt.

¹Bandırma Education and Training Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Balıkesir, Türkiye.

²Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bursa, Türkiye.

³Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatry, Bursa, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Özge Asena Duygu, Bursa Uludağ University, Görükle Kampüsü Görükle Mah. Üniversite 1. Cadde Kapı No:405 16059 Nilüfer, Bursa, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 04.09.2024, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 11.01.2026, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 25.04.2026, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.07.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Duygu, Ö. A., Turan, S., Çamlı, Ş. E., Özdel, Z. G. E. & Mutlu, C. (2026). Are prognostic nutrition index levels associated with prognosis in adolescents with anorexia nervosa? Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-10, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.02.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/