Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis
Food and sleep are critical for human survival. However, for individuals with eating disorders, they face two critical disruptions in terms of abnormal feeding patterns as well as poor sleep. These difficulties are exacerbated as a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic, which caused drastic chan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/1/69 |
| _version_ | 1797445965113720832 |
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| author | Aisha Jawed Mengyu Lim Amy Harrison Gianluca Esposito Nandini Adusumilli Dagmara Dimitriou |
| author_facet | Aisha Jawed Mengyu Lim Amy Harrison Gianluca Esposito Nandini Adusumilli Dagmara Dimitriou |
| author_sort | Aisha Jawed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food and sleep are critical for human survival. However, for individuals with eating disorders, they face two critical disruptions in terms of abnormal feeding patterns as well as poor sleep. These difficulties are exacerbated as a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic, which caused drastic changes in daily life schedules and living arrangements. The current study therefore aims to explore, through qualitative means, how individuals with eating disorders are affected during the subsequent lockdowns, with a particular emphasis on the pandemic’s impact on their sleep in Saudi Arabia. Two groups of participants were recruited: participants with eating disorders and healthy controls. Based on thematic analysis of focus group discussion data, it was found that both types of participants experienced poorer sleep and poorer mental health. Participants with eating disorders too showed a deterioration of their symptoms. However, healthy participants tended to show greater levels of recovery and coping. Based on the study findings, recommendations for future studies are made. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:33:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a14f3902643b481dae27c309d0b82214 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:33:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a14f3902643b481dae27c309d0b822142023-11-30T21:15:22ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2023-01-011316910.3390/bs13010069Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic AnalysisAisha Jawed0Mengyu Lim1Amy Harrison2Gianluca Esposito3Nandini Adusumilli4Dagmara Dimitriou5Sleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, London WC1H 0AA, UKPsychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639818, SingaporeDepartment of Psychology and Human Development, University College London, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UKAffiliative Behaviour and Physiology Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, ItalySleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, London WC1H 0AA, UKSleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, London WC1H 0AA, UKFood and sleep are critical for human survival. However, for individuals with eating disorders, they face two critical disruptions in terms of abnormal feeding patterns as well as poor sleep. These difficulties are exacerbated as a result of the recent coronavirus pandemic, which caused drastic changes in daily life schedules and living arrangements. The current study therefore aims to explore, through qualitative means, how individuals with eating disorders are affected during the subsequent lockdowns, with a particular emphasis on the pandemic’s impact on their sleep in Saudi Arabia. Two groups of participants were recruited: participants with eating disorders and healthy controls. Based on thematic analysis of focus group discussion data, it was found that both types of participants experienced poorer sleep and poorer mental health. Participants with eating disorders too showed a deterioration of their symptoms. However, healthy participants tended to show greater levels of recovery and coping. Based on the study findings, recommendations for future studies are made.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/1/69anorexia nervosaeating disordersbulimiabinge eating disorderCOVID-19sleep |
| spellingShingle | Aisha Jawed Mengyu Lim Amy Harrison Gianluca Esposito Nandini Adusumilli Dagmara Dimitriou Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis Behavioral Sciences anorexia nervosa eating disorders bulimia binge eating disorder COVID-19 sleep |
| title | Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis |
| title_full | Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis |
| title_short | Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with Eating Disorders in Saudi Arabia: A Thematic Analysis |
| title_sort | exploring the impact of covid 19 on individuals with eating disorders in saudi arabia a thematic analysis |
| topic | anorexia nervosa eating disorders bulimia binge eating disorder COVID-19 sleep |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/1/69 |
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