Growing up with a parent with an eating disorder/disordered eating
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Growing up alongside a parent with an eating disorder or disordered eating: A grounded theory exploration of adult children’s experiences.
IRAS ID
313496
Contact name
Megan Stratford
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Eating disorders (ED) and disordered eating (DE) are often thought to begin during adolescence. However, research suggests that these difficulties can also present during adulthood. One of the biggest life changes that adults go through includes pregnancy and parenthood. Research suggests that, for women who are pregnant with a history of or current ED, their eating difficulties may improve temporarily but deteriorate again after pregnancy. This means that their difficulties are likely to influence how they raise their offspring. Although the qualitative literature has explored the effects of parental eating disorders on the offspring, this is from the perspective of the parent rather than the offspring. This research aims to expand the current evidence base by exploring how adult children make sense of growing up alongside a parent with an ED or DE.
Participants over the age of 18 who grew up with a parent with an ED or DE will be eligible to participate. They will be invited to complete a demographic questionnaire and participate in a semi-structured interview, either in person at the University of Leeds or remotely. The interview will explore the participant's experiences of growing up with a parent with an ED/DE and the impact of this on their early and later years. Participants will be recruited from clinical and non-clinical populations, such as NHS Adult Eating Disorder Services and the University of Leeds. This research forms part of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course, which finishes in September 2023.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0635
Date of REC Opinion
22 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion