Illness perceptions in anorexia nervosa: a qualitative investigation.
Objectives: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by the egosyntonic nature of symptoms, denial of illness, and ambivalence about treatment engagement. Within the physical health literature, people's beliefs about their illness have been found to impact upon coping and treatment...
| Published in: | British Journal of Clinical Psychology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 307 - 326 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Sep2010
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=105101766&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 105101766 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 01446657 99B jtl: British Journal of Clinical Psychology issn: 01446657 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Sep2010 vid: 49 iid: 3 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 105101766 2010785183 10.1348/014466509X454598 105101766 ppf: 307 ppct: 19 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Illness perceptions in anorexia nervosa: a qualitative investigation. aug: au: Higbed L Fox JRE affil: Division of Clinical Psychology, University of Manchester, UK sug: subj: Adaptation, Psychological Anorexia Nervosa Attitude to Illness Perception Adolescence Adult Diaries England Female Grounded Theory Human Male Middle Age Purposive Sample Qualitative Studies Self Regulation Semi-Structured Interview Young Adult Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Female Male ab: Objectives: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by the egosyntonic nature of symptoms, denial of illness, and ambivalence about treatment engagement. Within the physical health literature, people's beliefs about their illness have been found to impact upon coping and treatment outcomes and this has largely been explored using the self-regulation model. This model has also been applied to mental health and more recently to AN, with beliefs about the disorder being associated with readiness to change. However, qualitative investigations have indicated that physical health models have limited applicability for assessing people's beliefs about mental illness. This may be particularly pertinent to AN, given the complexity of the disorder. Therefore, this study explored illness perceptions in AN using a qualitative design which was not restricted by a physical illness model but focused on personal models of AN from the perspective of those experiencing the disorder. Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen participants who were currently in treatment for AN. Method: Interview transcripts were analysed using grounded theory methodology. Results: An interpretative theory of illness perceptions in AN was developed and comprised four related categories: 'making sense of AN', 'the relationship between AN and the self', 'the recovery struggle', and 'coping with treatment'. Conclusion: Patient's accounts transcended the dimensions offered by physical illness models, with the implication that methods for assessing illness beliefs in AN require adaptation for a full understanding to be gained and the complexity of perceptions to be captured. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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