Self-harm, disordered eating and borderline personality disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychological factors associated with self-harm and problem eating: an exploratory study.
IRAS ID
207863
Contact name
Claire Allott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Highland
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Suicide is one of the most commonly reported causes of death in individuals with eating disorders, with self-harm also highly prevalent in this population. Research has indicated that binge and/or purge behaviours in particular, occurring in both Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN), are associated with higher rates of suicidal ideation and self-harm. Co-occurring borderline personality disorder (BPD) presents a significant increased risk of suicidal behaviour. Previous research has focused on diagnostic categorisation of eating disorders, which may have underestimated the relationship between disordered eating behaviours and suicidal and self-harm behaviours. As such, this study aims to instead look at disordered eating on a spectrum. Psychological factors associated with these increased risks have also not been fully explored. Given the increased risk of self-harm and suicide in those with eating disorders and BPD, the primary aim of this research is to examine the extent to which disordered eating and suicidal and/or self-harm behaviours are associated, with a secondary aim to investigate the effect of certain psychological factors on this relationship. Identification of psychological factors will aid identification and management of risk and inform treatment.
Participants will be those with a diagnosis of BPD in NHS Highland. The research will use a cross-sectional mixed methods design. Participants will be asked to complete short questionnaires assessing disordered eating behaviour, self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours, depression, perfectionism, emotional regulation, impulsivity, resilience, and self-disgust. The resulting quantitative data will be analysed using logistic regression. A small subset of participants endorsing a history of self-harm and disordered eating will be invited to take part in semi-structured interviews, focusing on their experience of the relationship between these two factors. Transcripts will be analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
16/NS/0098
Date of REC Opinion
12 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion