Experiences of people identified with severe and enduring anorexia 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study of the psychosocial and support experiences of individuals identified as having severe and enduring 'anorexia nervosa'
IRAS ID
219206
Contact name
Jessica Conrad-Czaja
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 27 days
Research summary
‘Eating disorders’ are serious conditions that are associated with disturbed diet, a complex attitude towards food and a fear of gaining weight. Many people diagnosed with an ‘eating disorder’, such as 'anorexia nervosa' or 'bulimia nervosa', seek support and go on to report recovery. However, some people do not notice an improvement, or struggle to maintain their improvement, and go on to experience a severe and enduring 'eating disorder’. This can last years and can remain very serious for the person’s physical and mental health. These individuals are considered to be some of the most complex and challenging cases within healthcare services and it can be difficult to know how best to support this group and what services would be most useful to them. It is also suggested that individuals in this group present one of the highest financial costs per patient, due to their complex healthcare needs.
The current study is interested in the psychosocial experiences of people who are identified as having severe and enduring 'anorexia nervosa' (known as SEAN), and their experiences of support. The study also aims to explore the hopes that individuals with SEAN have for the future, which could improve our understanding of the support that will be most meaningful to them.
Participants will be recruited through the Leicestershire Adult Eating Disorder Service (LAEDS). Participants will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire, asking things such as their age, gender and diagnosis history. Each participant will then take part in a one-to-one interview, which will ask questions about their difficulties and treatment experiences and expectations. This will last one to two hours. The interview will be recorded so the researcher can then write up the interview. These write-ups will then be analysed by the researcher using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0219
Date of REC Opinion
20 Apr 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion