Sense of self and anorexia nervosa
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The relationship between sense of self and the eating disorder in individuals with anorexia nervosa.
IRAS ID
120438
Contact name
Karen Williams
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Research summary
Anorexia nervosa is an eating problem where people do not eat enough to stay at a normal weight because they are scared of becoming fat. They often think that they need to be thin for others to like and accept them and feel bad about themselves if they eat or put on weight. People with anorexia nervosa can struggle to work out who they are and can feel like their eating problems are all that makes them a person.
Researchers want to understand what people think makes them a person and how this links with their eating problems so that they can know more about why people find it hard to start eating and put on weight. We may then be able to develop better ways of helping people to eat more and put on weight, as well as feel better about themselves.
A study has been set up to look at this link in people with anorexia nervosa. People will be interviewed by a researcher who will ask them questions about how they see themselves and their eating problems. If someone wants to take part in the study they will choose to be interviewed at a hospital.People will be compensated for their time and travel.
The interviews will be recorded so that the researcher can listen to them and write down, word for word, what the person has said. The researcher will then look at what the person has said and pick out pieces of information that tells her something about the person’s experience of their eating problems. This will be done for each person and then these pieces of information will be compared to see if there is anything in common between people.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0206
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jun 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion