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Thesis
Development and stakeholder evaluation of a weight history interview for eating disorders
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
May 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011053
Abstract
Most individuals with anorexia or bulimia nervosa lose a significant amount of weight in the process of developing an eating disorder. Weight suppression, the difference between an individual's highest past weight and their current weight, has been associated with a wide range of behavioral, cognitive, and biological facets of eating disorders such as purging frequency, drive for thinness, leptin levels, and future weight gain (Lowe et al., 2018; Lowe, 2020). Given how consistently weight suppression is related to theoretically and clinically relevant eating disorder characteristics, it would be highly desirable to develop a framework whereby an individual patient's weight history could be measured in a clinically-applicable, systematic, and replicable way. A similar approach was used with the Eating Disorders Examination, a semi-structured clinical interview, that categorized, operationalized, and quantified eating disorder features central to the cognitive-behavioral model of eating disorders (Cooper & Fairburn, 1987). This study was the first stage in the development of a weight history interview for eating disorders (WHI). We held focus groups with 10 former patients with eating disorders and three eating disorder clinicians in order to elicit stakeholder feedback on the relevance, clarity, utility, and potential emotional impact of the first iteration of the WHI. Additionally, we gathered quantitative feedback from participants through self-report surveys administered following the focus groups and used this data to calculate descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis of qualitative data identified six relevant themes from former patients and six relevant themes from clinicians. Descriptive statistics largely reflected the mixed reactions between and within participants. The results from these descriptive and thematic analyses were used to understand key stakeholders' feedback about the WHI and identify suggested modifications for future versions of the WHI. The long-term goal of this project is to establish a psychometrically-sound, interview-based measure of weight history that can be incorporated into eating disorder treatment.
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Details
- Title
- Development and stakeholder evaluation of a weight history interview for eating disorders
- Creators
- Johanne Ingrid Friedman
- Contributors
- Michael R. Lowe (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- vii, 117 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022058935404721