Browsing by Author "Russell-Mayhew, Shelly"
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- ItemOpen AccessA Pilot Study of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Women with Disordered Eating(2013-06-26) Saraceni, Reana; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyEating disorders are generally defined by abnormal eating habits that typically involve either the insufficient or excessive intake of food to the detriment of an individual’s physical and mental health. Eating disorders are amongst the most challenging disorders to treat, and even the treatment of choice, cognitive-behavioural therapy, only achieves moderate success. This study is in response to a call from experts in the field who recommend the piloting of promising therapies for these challenging disorders. Some of the reasons for treatment difficulties may be due to existing therapies failing to adequately respond to inflexible control strategies such as experiential avoidance, often seen in eating disorders. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) directly targets psychological inflexibility, making it a potentially ideal treatment for disordered eating. ACT is an innovative treatment that has been applied broadly to a variety of disorders. This is the first study to examine the efficacy of a complete ACT intervention for women with clinical disordered eating. This study examines change over time on measures life quality, valued living, mindful acceptance and observing, disordered eating and psychological maladjustment. The utilization of individual growth curve analyses provides a statistical modeling technique that summarizes changes about intra-individual change while simultaneously addressing inter-individual differences in change. Duration of illness was utilized as a predictor to further explain the hypothesized change over time. The results of this seven week group intervention showed positive pre-test to follow-up improvements in life quality, valued living, experiential avoidance, disordered eating, and psychological maladjustment. The mindfulness results run counter to findings from mindfulness component studies for eating disorders. The results suggest that the cognitive (mindfulness) processes did not appear to add value above and beyond the commitment and behaviour change processes. No significant differences were found on any of the measures between women who reported shorter versus much longer durations of their illness. Overall, results suggest that the commitment to living a valued-based life may be the most viable component of and ACT intervention for treating women with disordered eating. Future research is warranted to parse out the behavioural aspect of ACT’s mindfulness-based behavioural approach to treatment.
- ItemOpen AccessA Situational Analysis of Family Characterizations Related to Eating, Weight, and Appearance(2015-09-25) Salvisberg, Wendy; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyThe media is considered an important social institution due to its powerful nature of defining social situations. Individuals are exposed to messages about weight and feeding practices which are often inconsistent and confusing. Parents internalize messages and act as socializing agents, informing their children through conversation and modelling of the type of eating behaviours, weight, and appearance that are valued in society. This research utilized situational analysis to examine five of the most popular online Canadian family magazines with a focus on how eating, weight, and appearance are presented in the articles and images. The analysis revealed powerful discursive messages related to adoption of certain eating practices, mentalities pertaining to weight and appearance, and the ways in which health is perceived in contradicting manners. The findings expose a need for education of media producers about how they discuss weight-related topics and parental responsibility for health and weight.
- ItemOpen AccessA Tender Revolution: An Exploration of Multiple Marginalization and Identity(2021-01-14) Suehn, Megan R.; Kassan, Anusha; Kassan, Anusha; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Callaghan, TonyaFeminist standpoint theory (FST) centres the object of psychological research inquiry upon the systemic power relations that enact discrimination, violence, and inequality. By continuing to enrich Canadian counselling psychologists’ understandings of these relations of sociocultural power, researchers and clinicians alike can better appreciate and respond to the ways that they produce unique experiences of stress, especially for people who hold multiple marginalized identities. In this dissertation, multiple-marginalization (MM) refers to the interlocking nature of systemic power relations that lead to structural and person-to-person behavioral manifestations of bias against a particular group; for example, oppression. Since the 1950s, identity development has been a prominent area of research in psychology, leading to the development of numerous conceptual models in response to differing perspectives and advancements in civil rights movements. Although at times an uneasy partnership, this combination of on-the-ground and academic work has served to mutually influence wider thinking about the constructs of identity and wellness. In this dissertation, I critically explore how the field of counselling psychology approaches identity development. In relation, there is a lack of counselling psychology research that investigates the experiences of identity development under the influences of MM using an intersectional and social justice perspective. As a result, my aim was to create a body of work that might invigorate counselling psychology (and allied professions) in recognizing and working in solidarity with clients/patients, research participants, and community members against the insidious forces of MM.
- ItemOpen AccessBehaviour is in the Practice: Examining Excessive Behaviours using a Practice Framework(2016) Mudry, Tanya; Strong, Tom; Hodgins, David; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Saah, Rebecca; Hoskins, MarieThe concept of “addictive” or excessive behaviours (EBs) has become an object of discussion, treatment, scientific investigation, and controversy. Much of the current research on EBs has utilized an etiological biomedical disease model for understanding EBs, with little focus on the actual practices of EBs, the relational trajectories sustaining EBs, and everyday lives in which EBs are enacted. In this dissertation I conceptualized EBs using a practice framework to show how EBs are reproduced, relationally grounded, and situated in practice networks in everyday life. A practice framework enabled me zoom in to the particularities of the practice, to understand the complex trajectories within the process – and zoom out to see the larger networks of practices influencing and sustaining the practice. Through this research, I also learned about participants’ co-occurring recovery practices that furnished preferred networks of practices. I analyzed 15 participant interviews using a focused ethnographic approach (Higginbottom, 2013; Knoblauch, 2005) and drew from practice theory (e.g., Kemmis, Edwards-Groves, Wilkinson, & Hardy, 2012; Nicolini, 2013; Schatzki, 2012), discursive research (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Potter, 1997), positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1991), research in affective embodied practices (Lock, 1993; Wetherell, 2012), and Actor Network Theory (Latour, 2005). Based on this analysis, I depicted how food options, Internet features, game and phone design (“things”) played an integral role in the trajectories of EB practices. I illustrated how ability, availability, and the presence of people (“place”) were practice-contingent. I discerned discourses (superstition, normativity, addiction) that were reported important for enacting, explaining, directing, and resisting EB practices. Finally, I attended to larger networks of component practices, to map out the various other life practices that facilitate, support, sustain, or restrict and block EBs. In addition, I shared the intentional and naturally occurring recovery practices which participants engaged. This study offers contributions to addiction theory and research, and counselling practice.
- ItemOpen AccessCan a Value-Based Writing Task Reduce a Self-Discrepant Body Image?(2016) Lester, Chantal; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Harker Martin, Brittany; Laverty, AnnThe purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between body self-discrepancy, as measured by the Body Image Ideals Questionnaire (BIQ; Cash & Szymanski, 1995), the Body Mass Index Silhouettes Matching Test (BMI-SMT; Peterson, Ellenberg, & Crossman, 2003) and a self-affirmation manipulation. The sample consisted of 80 female undergraduate university students recruited through class announcements and posters. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control condition and were each individually guided through the experiment. All participants completed (a) pre-test questionnaires, (b) an exposure to media images depicting thin female models, (c) either a self-affirming or a neutral writing task, and (d) post-test measures. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance. It was hypothesized that participants in the experimental group would experience a greater decrease in body self-discrepancy at post-test compared to those in the control group. The results suggested that women in both conditions reported a significant increase in body self-discrepancy scores on the post BIQ measure, and endorsed wanting to attain smaller silhouettes (BMI-SMT measure) at both pre and post. Although previous studies have found that self-affirmations have had a psychological buffering effect and led to a reduction in reported body dissatisfaction scores (e.g., Armitage, 2012; Bucchianeri & Corning, 2012), this particular study did not show a decrease in body self-discrepancy scores. Since this study uniquely investigated a particular component of body image concern (body self-discrepancy) in relation to a self-affirming manipulation, it is likely that more research is needed to further understand this facet of body image.
- ItemOpen AccessCanadian Senate Report on Obesity: Focusing on Individual Behaviours versus Social Determinants of Health May Promote Weight Stigma(2018-07-02) Alberga, Angela S.; McLaren, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; von Ranson, Kristin M.Very little attention has been given to unintended consequences of government reporting on obesity. This paper argues that the 2016 Senate report, “Obesity in Canada: A Whole-Of-Society Approach,” exemplifies the systemic public health issue of weight stigma. The purpose of this viewpoint is to critique the approach taken in the Report, by illustrating that it (1) takes a weight-centric approach to health, (2) does not acknowledge important limitations of the definition and measurement of obesity, (3) reifies obesity as a categorical phenomenon that must be prevented, and (4) uses aggressive framing and disrespectful terminology. The Report perpetuates a focus on the individual, thereby failing to recognize the role that governments can play in reducing weight stigma and addressing social determinants of health. If steps are taken to avoid propagating weight stigma, future reports could more constructively address health promotion, equity, and social determinants of health in their policies.
- ItemOpen AccessCreative Flourish; The Effects of the Artifacts of Creativity Developmental Activity on Personal Wellbeing for Adult Learners(2023-10-03) Dickerson, Teena; Poitras Pratt, Yvonne; Groen, Janet; Kelly, Robert; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Conrad, DianeDuring the challenging isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals turned to a multitude of creative activities. Educators noted that engaging in creativity positively affected post-secondary learners’ wellbeing and resiliency during lockdowns and our triaged turn to online learning. Drawing on my experience as an artist and art educator while learning from and thinking through Indigenous principles, this arts-based research sought to understand how creativity developmental activity might affect wellbeing and contribute to the aims of reconciliation. This art-making research program examined the immediate and diachronic influences of artifacts of creative activity on wellbeing of adult learners at any level of creative capacity. These knowledge-based insights drew from the experiences of the participants and myself in the creative process and revealed creativity as a meaningful innate human characteristic with profound growth potential. In sum, educators could use creativity and the artifacts of the activity as an educational intervention to bolster wellbeing and sustain all learners through difficult times and the challenging topics of transformative learning in adult education.
- ItemOpen AccessEngaging a School Community in a Collaborative Approach to Healthy Body Image and Diversity Acceptance(2015-06-10) Bardick, Angela Dawn; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyOver the past four decades, there has been an increased call for prevention and promotion efforts to address increasing rates of eating disorders and obesity in children (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2011a; 2011b). Despite efforts, there are ongoing concerns about weight-related issues in children such as weight dissatisfaction (Davison, Markey, & Birch, 2003); dieting and disordered eating (McVey, Tweed, & Blackmore, 2005); and weight bias, weight-based teasing, and weight-based victimization (Peterson, Puhl, & Luedicke, 2012). Addressing children’s weight-related issues in schools is a very complex endeavour. The purpose of this project was to engage a school community in a collaborative approach to improving body image and diversity acceptance. A feminist-informed participatory action research (f-PAR) approach was used. Piran and Teall’s (2012) Developmental Theory of Embodiment was used to critically examine experiences of embodiment as well as gender, power, and relational issues. However, practical and political challenges occurred during the research process. Conflicting priorities, administrative gatekeeping, silencing, teacher non-engagement, and lack of parental and student knowledge of the research impacted the project. Two teacher in-services, a teacher focus group, and a parent in-service were conducted. The Body Image Kits (Body Image Works, 2005) were used in Junior High health classes, and body image discussions occurred in Senior High Career and Life Management (CALM) classes. Participants identified a number of issues affecting students’ body image. Action initiatives included the development of Elementary and Junior High Girls Groups, changing the school fundraising policy, and revisiting the staff wellness plan. Collaborative discussions with educational policy makers about policies and practices regarding children’s weight-related issues in schools are indicated. There is a need to listen to students’ voices, transform the school context, develop a Comprehensive School Health approach, improve teacher professional development, utilize a social justice perspective, and involve parents. University-school research partnerships are indicated to utilize evidence-based best practices and build capacity. In conclusion, the creation of a healthy school environment involves far more than healthy nutrition plans and physical activities: it requires an orientation towards social justice and the courage to advocate for social change.
- ItemOpen AccessExperiencing Transition and Mental Distress: Narratives of First-Year University Students(2021-06-10) Pethrick, Helen; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Simmons, Marlon; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyStudent mental health and well-being has become an area of increased attention and relevance within Canadian higher education. More university students every year report mental health problems and universities have developed strategies to promote student mental health. Direct-entry first-year university students are in need of unique support for their mental well-being because they are in a critical developmental time in emerging adulthood. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the narratives of students who experienced mental distress during their first year of university. This inquiry asked: How do direct-entry university students, who identify as having undergone mental distress in their first year, experience the transition from high school to university? I engaged in a qualitative narrative inquiry methodology. I conducted narrative interviews with eight current undergraduate students who had entered university directly from high school and had experienced mental distress during their first year of university. In my analysis, I elucidated individual and collective narratives from these students’ experiences. The participants’ experiences were divided in two subsets of narrative portraits: current first-year students and current upper-year students. The subsets were distinguished by the participants’ temporal positioning to their first-year university experience. Two collective narratives emerged: entangled transitions and waves of mental distress. Through this inquiry, the participants engaged in narrative learning to restory their experience of transition and mental distress. To support the transitional experiences of direct-entry students, universities should implement holistic approaches that frame first-year university students as whole people and emerging adult learners.
- ItemOpen AccessExploring weight bias internalization in pregnancy(2022-07-29) Nagpal, Taniya S.; Salas, Ximena R.; Vallis, Michael; Piccinini-Vallis, Helena; Alberga, Angela S.; Bell, Rhonda C.; da Silva, Danilo F.; Davenport, Margie H.; Gaudet, Laura; Rodriguez, Angela C. I.; Liu, Rebecca H.; Myre, Maxine; Nerenberg, Kara; Nutter, Sarah; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Souza, Sara C. S.; Vilhan, Candace; Adamo, Kristi B.Abstract Background Recent research has shown that pregnant individuals experience weight stigma throughout gestation, including negative comments and judgement associated with gestational weight gain (GWG). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is often a result of exposure to weight stigma and is detrimental to biopsychological health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore WBI in pregnancy and compare scores based on maternal weight-related factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), obesity diagnosis and excessive GWG. Methods Pregnant individuals in Canada and USA completed a modified version of the Adult Weight Bias Internalization Scale. Self-reported pre-pregnancy height and weight were collected to calculate and classify pre-pregnancy BMI. Current weight was also reported to calculate GWG, which was then classified as excessive or not based on Institute of Medicine (2009) guidelines. Participants indicated if they were diagnosed with obesity by a healthcare provider. Inferential analyses were performed comparing WBI scores according to pre-pregnancy BMI, excessive GWG, and obesity diagnosis. Significance was accepted as p < 0.05 and effect sizes accompanied all analyses. Result 336 pregnant individuals completed the survey, with an average WBI score of 3.9 ± 1.2. WBI was higher among those who had a pre-pregnancy BMI of obese than normal weight (p = 0.04, η2 = 0.03), diagnosed with obesity than not diagnosed (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.3), and gained excessively versus not (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.2). Conclusions Pregnant individuals who have a higher BMI, obesity and gain excessively may experience WBI. Given that weight stigma frequently occurs in pregnancy, effective person-oriented strategies are needed to mitigate stigma and prevent and care for WBI.
- ItemOpen AccessHealth and Weight Beliefs and Behaviours of Pre-Service Teachers: Considerations and Implications for a Health Promotion Perspective(2015-08-05) Tkachuk, Michelle; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyThis project explored pre-service teachers (i.e., bachelor of education [B.Ed.] students) beliefs and behaviours about health and weight during their university education at an Alberta university. Although many studies claim that there is a need for training teachers in the areas of health and weight, recommendations for the specific areas requiring professional development or intervention for teachers are lacking. The present study was conducted with 226 pre-service teachers. Participants’ self-reported height, weight, body satisfaction, health promoting behaviours, implicit weight bias, current weight loss and muscle gain attempts were assessed. Results demonstrated many pre-service teachers have concerns about their weight and their bodies and exhibit weight bias, which may be transferred to their future students. Professional development interventions targeting body satisfaction, weight bias, exercise behaviour, and stress management may be beneficial for pre-service teachers. Such interventions may help to better prepare teachers to teach and model health to their future students.
- ItemOpen AccessHow do Women Experience and Maintain Positive Embodiment in a Western Sociocultural Context?(2015-03-16) Balsden, Kayla; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyBody image is one major area that has been emphasized in psychological research. In fact, researchers have long recognized the phenomenon of normative discontent (i.e., extensive body and weight-related dissatisfaction) among women in Western culture. As such, research in the area of body image has largely focused on risk factors for pathology. Since early in the 21st century, researchers have been encouraging others to focus on protective factors and positive, embodied experiences. Embodiment has been conceptualized as involving a broader collection of individual and social experiences, compared to body image. This research explored how women experience and maintain positive embodiment in a Western sociocultural context. Qualitative data was gathered from 10 women and was analyzed through the use of constructivist grounded theory. Results from the preliminary conceptual model suggested that women engage in continuous meaning making and balancing. The results have implications for counselling and for future research.
- ItemOpen AccessIdeology, Thin-Ideal Internalization, and Social Comparison: An Examination of the Correlates of Weight Bias(2014-09-30) Nutter, Sarah; Russell-Mayhew, ShellyAlthough a history of research and social action has led to progress in the areas of race and gender bias, weight bias, or the negative attitudes and beliefs towards people with obesity, has been given considerably less focus. Given the increasing rates of obesity and the increase in the intensity and frequency of weight-bias, research is needed to elucidate factors associated with weight bias. This research quantitatively examined the relationship between three social ideologies, thin-ideal internalization, and social comparison processes in relation to weight bias. Participants were 153 adults from the United States recruited through Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk. The results suggested that, while social ideology remains significantly associated with weight bias, thin-ideal internalization and social comparisons are also significantly associated with both explicit and implicit weight bias. Future research may want to more closely align with body image research, and investigate the utility of body image interventions for weight bias.
- ItemOpen AccessIncorporating Asset-Building into a Shared Risk Factor Approach to School-Based Eating Disorder and Obesity Prevention(2016) Ross Batten, Shannon Barbara; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Fung, Tak; Zwiers, MichaelIn response to the high prevalence of eating disorders and obesity in adolescents, researchers are increasingly recognizing the benefits of developing universal prevention programs that address risk factors relevant to both issues. Further, an exclusive emphasis on risk overlooks the strengths in adolescents’ lives, potentially undermining their capacity to overcome challenges and develop into healthy adults. The developmental assets framework, which is composed of internal and external assets that have been consistently associated with a broad range of outcomes and health behaviours, represents an optimistic vocabulary for discussing adolescent health that has been gaining momentum in the prevention literature. For the current research study, five shared risk factors (low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, dieting, weight-related teasing, and media internalization) were targeted through a school-based eating disorder and obesity prevention program that simultaneously promoted three developmental asset areas (positive identity, positive values, and social competencies). Teacher-led lesson plans known as Body Image Kits were delivered to junior high school students as part of their physical education classes. A quasi-experimental research design was used to assess program effectiveness by examining participants’ scores on measures of risk factors and developmental assets at post-program and follow up when compared to those of a control group. Additional subgroup analyses were also conducted to assess if intervention group participants demonstrated differential program effects based on baseline levels of developmental assets. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to measure between-group differences over time. Results of the analyses revealed that the intervention group experienced a short-term reduction in dieting as well as greater overall positive identity compared to the control group. No other significant group or interaction effects were found for the remaining risk factors or developmental asset areas. Findings from the subgroup analyses were mixed, indicating the need to further explore the potential utility of applying the developmental assets framework to complement eating disorder and obesity prevention. The modest program effects found in this research illuminate the practical and methodological challenges that accompany universal school-based research. The implications of these challenges for school-based eating disorder and obesity prevention, counselling psychology, and research, as well as accompanying recommendations, are discussed.
- ItemOpen AccessInvestigating the Phenomenon of School Integration: The Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers Working with Newcomer Youth(2017) Nathoo, Jasmine Alia; Kassan, Anusha; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Chowdhury, Tanvir TurinNewcomer youth arriving in Canada face academic, cultural, and language barriers as they navigate the school system (Rossiter & Rossiter, 2009). Students have identified teachers as their main source of support throughout the process of school integration (Gallucci, 2016). However, research has demonstrated that teachers feel unprepared to meet the unique needs of newcomer students (Gándara, Maxwell-Jolly, & Driscoll, 2005). The current study explores the phenomenon of school integration, from the perspectives of pre-service teachers. Employing a descriptive phenomenological methodology, interviews were conducted with ten pre-service teachers. The research question addressed was: How do pre-service teachers perceive and describe their experiences of working with newcomers who are integrating into high school in Canada? Data analysis revealed five general structures, (a) understanding culture and background, (b) supporting language transition, (c) adapting/modifying teaching style, (d) teacher preparation, and (e) roles additional to teaching. Implications for teachers and service providers are presented, and directions for future research are explored.
- ItemOpen Access"It Scars": Meaning Making and Psychological Impacts of Parental Feeding Control(2017) Brun, Isabel; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Groen, Janet; Strong, TomGiven the negative physiological and psychosocial outcomes associated with childhood obesity, it is no wonder that parents may want to utilize parental feeding control practices in order to promote weight loss, or prevent weight gain, in their children. However, regardless of parents’ best intentions, parental feeding control practices have been found to have counterproductive effects on children’s eating behaviours and weight status. Despite these findings, minimal research has been conducted to examine how these parental feeding control practices are subjectively experienced by children. As such, the current study explored perceived meaning making and psychological impacts of parental feeding control practices through constructivist grounded theory methods. Results from the preliminary constructivist grounded theory indicate that individuals face lasting negative meaning making (e.g., viewing self-worth as contingent on weight), psychological (e.g., fearing weight gain), and behavioural (e.g., engaging in maladaptive eating behaviours) impacts as a result of experiencing parental feeding control practices during their childhoods. Findings have implications for counselling and future research.
- ItemOpen AccessMental Health, Wellness, and Childhood Overweight/Obesity(2012-06-24) Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; McVey, Gail; Bardick, Angela; Ireland, AlanaChildhood obesity is a growing concern, and while progress has been made to understand the association between multiple biological factors (i.e., genetics, nutrition, exercise etc.), little is known about the relationship between mental health and childhood obesity. In this paper, we offer a review of current evidence about the association between mental health and childhood obesity. A systematic literature search of peer-reviewed, English-language studies published between January 2000 and January 2011 was undertaken and resulted in 759 unique records, of which 345 full-text articles were retrieved and 131 articles were included. A theoretical model is proposed to organize the paper and reflect the current state of the literature and includes psychological factors (i.e., depression and anxiety, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disordered symptoms, and emotional problems); psychosocial mediating variables (i.e., weight-based teasing and concern about weight and shape), and wellness factors (i.e., quality of life and resiliency/protective factors). We conclude with a number of recommendations to support the creation of solutions to the rise in childhood obesity rates that do not further marginalize overweight and obese children and youth and that can potentially improve the well-being of all children and youth regardless of their weight status.
- ItemOpen AccessMental Health,Wellness, and Childhood Overweight/Obesity(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2012-04-30) Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; McVey, Gail; Bardick, Angela; Ireland, Alana
- ItemOpen AccessNot the Typical Eating Disorder: Moving Beyond Stereotypes of Anorexia Nervosa(2022-06) Vos, Sally; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Zhao, Xu; Nicholas, David BruceEating Disorders (EDs) are a classification of biopsychosocial disorders with serious and potentially fatal consequences. Atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) is a diagnosis used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (5th ed.) to describe an ED occurring when an individual meets the criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) while maintaining a weight that is “within or above the normal range,” despite significant weight loss. Researchers have established that AAN is equally as serious from a medical perspective when compared to AN. Despite an increasing number of adolescents presenting to ED treatment facilities with AAN, no research has specifically explored the perspectives of individuals who have experienced AAN during their adolescence. In this study, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to examine how participants made sense of their past experiences of AAN and the meanings that they derived from these experiences. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Five superordinate themes were identified: (a) the search for belonging, (b) caregiver influence, (c) not the typical eating disorder, (d) diagnosis: a double-edged sword, and (e) there’s no “one size fits all” approach. Taken together, these findings have important implications for the detection and treatment of AAN, counselling psychology, ED nosology, and future research.
- ItemOpen Access‘One-size-fits-all’? A Situational Analysis of Weight-Related Issues in Schools(2016) Ireland, Alana; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Strong, Tom; Wulff, DanMany researchers have explored the impact or effectiveness of eating disorder and obesity prevention programs in schools. Few, however, have investigated integrated prevention efforts, and despite recommendations to shift the focus to environmental or systemic change, even fewer researchers have considered the broader situation of weight-related issues. In this study, I intend to address this gap by exploring how weight-related issues are negotiated in schools, and what institutional and social practices influence their construction. I used situational analysis to develop a broader picture of the complexities of the situation and the differences or tensions extant. Analysis of multiple sources of data such as research literature, participant interviews, personal memos, and educational curricula/policy documents contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the elements within the situation. Mapping processes involved in situational analysis indicated multiple tensions involved in promoting health in relation to weight in schools, and highlighted the importance of opening-up conversations amongst various stakeholders involved in the situation. Findings also emphasized the importance of exploring ways to (a) promote acceptance of all bodies, and (b) change policies or practices that contribute to the stigmatization of individuals based on body size.