Body Image in Men with Eating Disorders: A Qualitative Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Body Image in Men with Eating Disorders: A Qualitative Study
IRAS ID
301916
Contact name
Andreas Paphiti
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Research into eating disorders for men is limited, although men comprise a proportion of those who have an eating disorder. A limited area of research is how men with eating disorders experience body image – there is some evidence from those who do not have an eating disorder that men aspire for body ideals based on leanness and muscularity, whereas female body image ideals focus more on thinness.
The study aims to understand how men with eating disorders experience body image, and how this relates to their eating disorder experience.
Men (aged over 18) with an eating disorder will be asked to take part. The clinicians of men accessing mental health services will ask men if they would like to take part. If they agree, they will be given additional information on the purpose of the research and what it entails. If they agree after considering this information, the researcher will ask the men to complete an interview in clinic, over the phone or by video.
The interviews will be made anonymous. Patterns and themes will be linked by the researcher with what each man shared in their interview, and across the men, to consider how these themes link to what is known about body image and eating disorders for men.
Findings from the study will be shared with clinicians in NHS Tayside who work with adults with eating disorders. The findings will be published as a research article so that others can learn from them.
The intended advantage of the study is that it may help people understand how body image is experienced from the perspectives of men with eating disorders. This can help professionals working with eating disorders consider such experiences when working with men in clinical practice, and help add to the research that is currently limited.
Summary of Results
It was found that participants experienced body image in different ways. One way was that they experienced body image personally, such as being critical towards their bodies and having particular goals for how they wanted their bodies to look. Body image was also experienced in relation to other people and relationships, such as having concerns others may not like or love them because of their bodies. Their sense of body image was also impacted by wider factors, such as by the media and attitudes society holds. Participants also described ways of controlling their bodies with their eating and exercise, which had a negative impact for them psychologically, socially and physically. The study findings are specific to the ten people who participated, but the findings can still help future research and clinical practice by considering their perspectives.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
21/WS/0125
Date of REC Opinion
13 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion