Feminist-Informed Protective Factors for Subthreshold Eating Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1546-1560
Author(s):  
Emily C. Wacker ◽  
Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab

Despite knowledge that the larger sociocultural context contributes to the development of eating disorders, few studies have examined protective factors for women with subthreshold eating disorders. Using feminist-informed constructivist grounded theory methodology, 15 women (ages 18–25 years) with subthreshold eating disorders were interviewed. Results suggest that participants spoke of their subthreshold eating disorders in an externalized way and used protective factors to guide decision making toward their preferred values. A grounded theory model was developed to illustrate this process. Protective factors included (a) people who provide emotional and tangible support, (b) support people who challenge the eating disorder, (c) personal sense of agency, and (d) community activism and involvement. Participants experiencing subthreshold eating disorders demonstrated a capacity to distinguish their own thoughts and values from those of the “eating disorder voice,” and protective factors facilitated this process. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Author(s):  
Jacqueline Gies ◽  
Sara Martino

Previous studies have investigated the potential harmful effects of pro-eating disorder (ED) websites. Websites, such as personal blogs, may contain eating disorder content that may hold important information as well and must be considered. Fifteen blogs hosted by the site “Tumblr” were qualitatively analyzed. Each blog owner was anonymous and all were female. Ten main themes were extracted using grounded theory: interaction, negative self-worth, mind and body disturbances, pictures, eating disorders, suicide, diet, exercise, stats, and recovery. Additional themes also appeared in the study. Results indicate that although each individual blog is unique to its owner, common concepts existed among the majority. The implications for the information in the ED blogs and directions for future research are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessalyn Klein ◽  
Catherine Cook-Cottone

Background: Yoga is a popular adjunct therapy for eating disorders (EDs). A systematic review and synthesis of the yoga literature is needed to guide treatment recommendations and future research. This article provides a review of studies that used yoga for preventing and treating EDs. Method: Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles about yoga practice and ED symptoms and correlates. Results: Of the 14 articles reviewed, 40% used cross-sectional designs to examine risk and protective factors for EDs among yoga practitioners, and 60% used longitudinal designs to assess the effectiveness of yoga interventions for preventing and treating EDs. Yoga practitioners were reported to be at decreased risk for EDs, and ED risk and symptoms were reduced or unchanged after yoga interventions. Conclusions: Well-controlled studies are needed to understand whether the positive effects of yoga on ED symptoms and correlates are related to the type of yoga practiced, the amount/frequency of practice, and/or other variables.


2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110235
Author(s):  
Claudia A. Cornejo-Araya ◽  
Leonie Kronborg

Adopting a constructivist grounded theory approach, 91 students from Years 9 to 11, in gifted educational programs from three schools in Melbourne, nominated their inspiring teachers. Eleven teachers, who received the highest number of nominations, were invited to an interview and an observation of their teaching. The emerged theoretical construct was identified as “Opening new possibilities: Inspiring teachers of gifted and highly able students,” which is further explained through three main categories: Being a knowledgeable and passionate teacher, creating an academically safe learning environment, and teaching beyond and above the regular curriculum. In addition, the theoretical process was explained through three phases: Expanding knowledge and understanding, Fostering positive attitudes, and Encouraging students to take action. Contextual determinants were considered to analyze and report the findings: students’ developmental characteristics, school culture, curriculum, and gifted educational provisions. Findings are discussed in the light of existing literature, as well as study limitations and ideas for future research.


Author(s):  
Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon ◽  
Jamie D. Feusner

This chapter addresses the comorbid presentation of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and disordered eating. BDD affects approximately 2% of the population and involves perceived defects of appearance along with obsessive preoccupation and repetitive, compulsive-like behaviors. The prevalence of comorbid BDD and eating disorders is high: Approximately one–third of those with BDD will have a comorbid eating disorder, and almost half of those with an eating disorder will have comorbid BDD. There are complicating diagnostic and treatment factors that arise when an individual experiences both. A core feature of these disorders is body image concern, which may be explained by both shared and unique aberrancies in visual and visuospatial processing that have neurobiological underpinnings. Understanding shared and unique pathophysiology may help inform and guide treatment, as well as open up lines of future research into their etiology.


Sexual Abuse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 908-929
Author(s):  
Miriam Ryan ◽  
Mathew McCauley ◽  
Davina Walsh

Sexual offenses evoke strong emotional responses and frequently elicit demands from society that offenders be indefinitely incarcerated or treated until they are deemed safe, which may impact the provision of therapeutic treatment for offenders. However, in recent years, there has been a proposal to move toward a positive, strengths-based treatment approach, namely the Good Lives Model (GLM). The present study used semi-structured interviews and a constructivist grounded theory approach to examine the experience of 13 men who were voluntarily engaging in or had completed a GLM community-based treatment program. A conceptual model emerged which outlines the process the men underwent, the factors they identified as crucial for change, and the perceived gains. The model extends previous work by exploring the process from the clients’ perspective. Implications for future research, prevention, and treatment are discussed.


Author(s):  
Robyn Sysko ◽  
G. Terence Wilson

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) describes two eating disorder diagnoses, anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Provisional criteria are also provided in DSM-IV for binge eating disorder (BED), which is an example of an eating disorder not otherwise specified. This chapter presents a summary and synthesis of research related to the clinical features and treatment of AN, BN, and BED, including studies of prevalence, common comorbidities, and treatment efficacy. Both psychological and pharmacological treatments are reviewed, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, family therapy, and the use of antidepressant medications. Recommendations are made for future research across the eating disorders.


Author(s):  
Marina Gershkovich ◽  
Olivia Pascucci ◽  
Joanna Steinglass

This chapter discusses the comorbidity of eating disorders with OCD, including epidemiology, neurobiology, clinical features, and treatment. These disorders frequently cooccur. There are hints that eating disorders and OCD may share underlying neural mechanisms of illness, but these neurobiological models are preliminary. Cooccurrence of eating disorders and OCD is more common in clinical populations than community samples, highlighting the importance of assessing eating and weight history among patients with OCD. Treatment for bulimia nervosa includes psychotherapy and medication options, all with good empirical support. Treatment for anorexia nervosa emphasizes behaviorally based approaches to weight restoration treatment, with no clear evidence for medication treatments. When these illnesses occur together, treatment focused on the eating disorder yields improvement in OCD symptoms. Integrating exposure and response prevention techniques into eating disorder treatment may yield synergistic improvement in both illnesses. Future research may shed light on shared and distinct neurobiological mechanisms of these illnesses.


Author(s):  
James Lock

This chapter addresses specific diagnostic, treatment, and research issues related to child and adolescent eating disorders. Current diagnostic formulations are inadequate for diagnosing eating disorders such as selective eating, food avoidance emotional disorders, and food phobias in children. Classification schemes for anorexia and bulimia nervosa are not developmentally sensitive, leading to overuse of “eating disorder not otherwise specified” as a diagnosis. Treatment studies in children and adolescents are few; however, those available suggest that certain guidelines are generally applicable. Adolescents with eating disorders should be treated as early as possible in an outpatient setting utilizing parents as resources. Medications, if used, should address comorbid conditions. Data hopefully forthcoming in the next 5 to 10 years will shed light on how best to classify and treat these disorders. Future research should integrate neuropsychological and neurofunctional findings related to brain development, cognitive functioning, and eating disorder symptom development in this age group.


2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anél Wiese ◽  
Deirdre Bennett

Abstract Background High-quality orientation of trainees entering a new clinical workplace is essential to support education and patient safety. However, few consultants receive extensive formal training to support new trainees and must create their own ways of integrating newcomers into their clinical team and work environment. We aim to conceptualise the strategies consultants use in the early stages of working with new trainees that will be useful for future faculty development in this area. Methods We used constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology by interviewing fifteen consultants in three medical specialties, to explore how trainees are integrated into a new clinical environment. We used CGT principles and procedures (iteration, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling) to analyse and construct a conceptual interpretation of the empirical data. Results Consultants’ central concern when introduced to a new cohort of trainees was that they had the required knowledge and skills (ready), were adapted and integrated into the new workplace and clinical team (steady), and safely participating in practice (go). Consultants used two broad strategies: formal orientation and informal orientation. Both these approaches had the common goal of intensifying interaction between consultants and trainees to get trainees to a position where they were ready, adapted, integrated, and participating safely and efficiently in practice. Several disruptors were identified by participants that delayed and sometimes completely inhibited the orientation process. Conclusions The model of orientation constructed through this research could be a valuable tool to support faculty development initiatives, the reflective learning practice of clinical supervisors, and curriculum design. The disruptors were identified as valid priorities for improving trainee orientation in postgraduate medical education. Future research should involve a longitudinal approach to explore trainee engagement with orientation upon entering a new clinical workplace.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Suzanne Hodgson

Fathers who are involved with their infants have the potential to make significant positive contributions to their children’s future health, wellbeing, and development. Transitions to fatherhood and the factors that shape those experiences, for some men, are poorly understood. There is a need for an improved awareness of the experiences of first-time fathers to inform policy and practice and improve support and outcomes for these men and their families. The primary aim of this work was to explore contemporary transitions to fatherhood. To this end, a constructivist grounded theory study (CGTM) was undertaken. Twelve new fathers were recruited in the North of England and data were gathered from semi-structured interviews where participants shared their experiences and perspectives of becoming fathers for the first time. Concepts relating to becoming and being fathers were explored in addition to fatherhood identity development. Following analysis of the data via processes fundamental to CGTM, the core category of reconciling father identities was constructed consisting of three theoretical categories: anticipating fatherhood, tensions in fathering and the fluidity of fathering. All participants had strong aspirations for involved fathering performances and took steps to prepare for their new roles. However, they faced various tensions in the workplace, in healthcare and in the normative, often traditional, expectations influenced by social and structural gendered norms. The father roles that they were ascribed by others frequently did not fit with their aspirations during pregnancy and the early months as fathers. They therefore found themselves working through periods of identity reconciliation which impacted upon their self-concept as fathers, their parenting confidence, and their parenting autonomy. Broader consideration of the needs of fathers is required across the arenas in which they perform fatherhood to support the development of positive father identities. This has the potential to benefit the wellbeing of the men themselves, their partners, and their infants. The implications for workplace, healthcare policy and practice are offered including suggestions for future research.


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