Embodied experiences of Type 1 Diabetes with Disordered Eating (T1DE)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of experiences of the body and embodiment for people with Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE)
IRAS ID
316455
Contact name
Christian Koebbel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Hertfordshire - Research and Enterprise Pro Vice Chancellor
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 3 days
Research summary
Data shows around 2 in 5 people with type 1 Diabetes experience disordered eating (Type 1 Diabetes with Disordered Eating, T1DE). Sometimes, this includes the restriction or omission of insulin with the purpose of losing weight, known informally as Diabulimia.
Research shows that conventional eating disorder treatment is less effective for this population and there is a higher dropout rate in people with diabulimia. Early research acknowledges the importance of identity and holistic/physiological experiences in the understanding of T1DE. As eating disorder treatment often takes a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approach, there may be more of a focus on thoughts, behaviours, and emotions in these interventions, with less of a focus on physiological experiences and sensations that may be particularly important and specific to diabetes.
The project aims to take an exploratory approach to this under-researched population by adopting a grounded theory methodology to investigate the experiences of physiological or 'embodied' experiences of people with T1DE. This study will begin interviewing people with experience of T1DE using a broad semi-structured interview schedule, followed by further stages of data collection which will be determined from the analysis of data obtained in these interviews. This approach is particularly helpful for under-researched populations and aims to develop a theory of a phenomenon driven by data.
The research aims to contribute to the understanding of how embodied experiences evolve in people with T1DE across time in order to inform intervention and treatment. Participants will be people aged 16+ with experiences of T1DE, recruited from NHS services including community diabetes teams, community eating disorder teams and general hospitals. Dependant on data obtained, further stages of recruitment may involve professionals and/or carers and families. The project is being conducted as part of a doctoral thesis and aims to be completed by June 2023.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0920
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion