Attachment and Mentalisation in Eating Disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Attachment and Mentalisation in Eating Disorders
IRAS ID
190039
Contact name
Laurette Siddell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 25 days
Research summary
Preliminary research has found that individuals with Eating Disorders (ED) have shown impairments in their mentalizing capacities (Skarderud, 2007), which is the process by which we make sense of others and ourselves. Cate et al., (2013) argues this emerges at earlier ages, so it would make sense that individuals at risk for ED will also exhibit deficits in their mentalization capacities. Equally, attachment theory, which examines the dynamics of long-term interpersonal relationships between humans particularly when young, is also limited and more research in ED may result in better understanding of symptoms and improved treatment outcomes (Illing et al., 2010).
We aim to recruit 74 young people aged 12-18 years old. 37 will be from NHS Lothian/NHS Glasgow/NHS Borders/NHS Fife/NHS Forth Valley child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), with multisite ethics being sought in order to meet the participant number within a specific period of time. 37 will be non-clinical controls recruited from local schools. They will answer four questionnaires read by the researcher based on their eating behaviours, attachment style, reflective functioning (which is the process of trying to understand ones own and others mental states and actions) and emotion regulation (the process by which one monitors, evaluates and modifies their emotional reactions), which will take approximately an hour. The study is being completed as part of a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is sponsored by The University of Edinburgh. The process of data collection, analysis and publication is planned to take two years, with submission in May 2017.
The research will add to a limited evidence base on attachment and mentalization within ED, particularly within young people. The study aims to assess whether there are differences in attachment and mentalization based on symptom severity particularly, potentially moving away from a diagnostic approach.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
15/SS/0224
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion