Solving the loneliness-eating disorder connection for sustainable recovery

Project ID: S52

Thirty-one percent of people relapse following treatment for an eating disorder with the highest risk occurring during the first-year post-discharge. Acute treatment focuses on resolving physical symptoms (e.g., weight restoration) rather than addressing social needs (e.g., loneliness). Difficulties developing and maintaining social connections in recovery may be due to impaired social functioning as well as the ego syntonic nature of eating disorders. Over time these social difficulties contribute to withdrawal from relationships that previously provided a sense of purpose, social support, and belonging. Developing diverse, meaningful social connections could provide the foundation needed for long-term recovery. This project, rooted in the Social Identity Approach to Health, will investigate the complex relationships between social connections, loneliness, social functioning, and eating disorder symptomatology with a view to determining: (1) which social connections are particularly helpful at different stages of the recovery journey, (2) the relative contribution of eating disorder-related (e.g., peer support) versus non-eating disorder-related (e.g., creative) connections to long-term recovery maintenance, and (3) how to best nurture these connections throughout treatment and beyond.

Our team at NTU and the University of Queensland comprises world-leading experts in the fields of social identity, individual differences, and eating disorders. As a PhD candidate you will work closely with this team, gaining invaluable insights and mentorship. There is already a coherent evidence base concerning the relationship between individuals, groups and recovery developed by the supervision team that can form a starting point for this work. This includes the importance of social identities for supporting recovery and ameliorating loneliness in people with eating disorders as well as the role played by creative arts groups in supporting interpersonal emotion regulation in those with chronic mental illnesses. The project has the potential to push into new theoretical ground by investigating how diverse social connections can support improvements in individual social functioning by facilitating positive emotional states, self-efficacy, and cognitive flexibility. Methodologies will include participatory research methods (e.g., PhotoVoice), digitally-derived network data, and analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data from the UK and Australia.

Our goal is to translate our research into tangible change in eating disorder treatment packages therefore you will be working closely with people with lived experience of eating disorders throughout the project lifetime. By delving into the intricacies of individuals’ social connections and the impact on eating disorder symptoms, we aim to revolutionise the way we address social needs in eating disorder treatment.

Supervisory Team:

Director of Studies: Dr Niamh McNamara

NTU co-supervisors: Dr Emanuele Fino

International Collaborator: Prof Genevieve Dingle, School of Psychology, University of Queensland

Entry qualifications

For the eligibility criteria, visit our studentship application page .

Fees and funding

This is part of NTU’s 2024 fully-funded PhD Studentship Scheme.