Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study.
BACKGROUND:Difficulties with social relationships have been implicated in both the development and maintenance of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) but the friendship experiences of individuals with AN have not been explored in depth. METHOD:Ten adults with AN took part in a semi-structured interview about thei...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5038934?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828229768038842368 |
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| author | Heather Westwood Vanessa Lawrence Caroline Fleming Kate Tchanturia |
| author_facet | Heather Westwood Vanessa Lawrence Caroline Fleming Kate Tchanturia |
| author_sort | Heather Westwood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BACKGROUND:Difficulties with social relationships have been implicated in both the development and maintenance of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) but the friendship experiences of individuals with AN have not been explored in depth. METHOD:Ten adults with AN took part in a semi-structured interview about their friendship experiences both before and since the onset of their illness. RESULTS:Five principle themes were identified through thematic analysis: Social Concern; Impact of AN; Social Connectedness; Inflexibility and Preferred Social Activity. Difficulties with friendship were present prior to the onset of AN in all cases, with participants experiencing anxiety in relation to various aspects of their friendships. Participants described mixed experiences of how their AN has affected their friendships but most participants described having less contact with their friends since becoming unwell. CONCLUSION:This research highlights the role that social difficulties may play in the development of AN, whilst also emphasising the importance of addressing problems with friendship in the course of inpatient treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:38:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a41ea3cfc4a2467582723c58fdbb3f20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:38:07Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-a41ea3cfc4a2467582723c58fdbb3f202022-12-22T03:20:52ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01119e016352810.1371/journal.pone.0163528Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study.Heather WestwoodVanessa LawrenceCaroline FlemingKate TchanturiaBACKGROUND:Difficulties with social relationships have been implicated in both the development and maintenance of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) but the friendship experiences of individuals with AN have not been explored in depth. METHOD:Ten adults with AN took part in a semi-structured interview about their friendship experiences both before and since the onset of their illness. RESULTS:Five principle themes were identified through thematic analysis: Social Concern; Impact of AN; Social Connectedness; Inflexibility and Preferred Social Activity. Difficulties with friendship were present prior to the onset of AN in all cases, with participants experiencing anxiety in relation to various aspects of their friendships. Participants described mixed experiences of how their AN has affected their friendships but most participants described having less contact with their friends since becoming unwell. CONCLUSION:This research highlights the role that social difficulties may play in the development of AN, whilst also emphasising the importance of addressing problems with friendship in the course of inpatient treatment.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5038934?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Heather Westwood Vanessa Lawrence Caroline Fleming Kate Tchanturia Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. PLoS ONE |
| title | Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. |
| title_full | Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. |
| title_fullStr | Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. |
| title_short | Exploration of Friendship Experiences, before and after Illness Onset in Females with Anorexia Nervosa: A Qualitative Study. |
| title_sort | exploration of friendship experiences before and after illness onset in females with anorexia nervosa a qualitative study |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5038934?pdf=render |
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