Paths to Anorexia Recovery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding Paths to Anorexia Nervosa Recovery: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Investigation
IRAS ID
345955
Contact name
Ana Julia Rodrigues Ferreira
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Anorexia Nervosa is reported to have a 5% mortality rate, the highest of any mental illness. Yet, current treatments do not seem to be very effective, with a 37% relapse rate reported in a recent review. It is crucial to establish a deeper understanding of contributing factors to Anorexia recovery and relapse, which can inform the creation of tools to prevent relapse and encourage full recovery.
Our research aims to understand what psychological and psychosocial factors can predict relapse from Anorexia following treatment. Participants will be selected based on being aged 16 and older, having a previous diagnosis of anorexia and having left treatment in the past 3 months. Participants will be assessed every 3 months over a period of one year using online surveys. Motivation to recover, social support, diagnoses of other mental illnesses or neurodivergence, ability to adapt thinking to new information or changes (cognitive flexibility) and mindfulness will be measured using a range of questionnaires. We will see how these factors impact their eating disorder symptoms, which will be measured at each assessment point via a questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews will also be conducted to explore in depth how participants believe these factors may be impacting their recovery. All data collection will be done online by the research team. Participating sites will be asked to circulate information about the project to patients who may be eligible to take part. This type of work has never been done before and will lead to a much-needed understanding of the pathways to Anorexia recovery and what can predict them. This could lead to significant advances in the field by providing information on what factors should be addressed by interventions, and at what stages in recovery they are most relevant. This study thus has great potential for informing future clinical practice.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0398
Date of REC Opinion
2 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion