Canadian Women's Perceptions, Perspectives, and Experiences Navigating the Transformative Pathway to Long-Term Recovery from an Eating Disorder

This study explored Canadian women’s perspectives, perceptions, and experiences navigating the pathway to long-term recovery from an eating disorder within a developmental context of early-middle adulthood. Both resilience theory (Luthar et al., 2000; Masten, 2014) and ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner 1975, 1979) were the frameworks of this study, grounding women’s experiences in both the factors that were helpful/harmful along this journey while with contextual considerations of understanding this process. Nine participants ranged from 30 to 57 years old, had past experiences of an eating disorder, and considered themselves in long-term recovery (7-10 years in recovery or longer; Matusek, 2007). Using a descriptive interpretive qualitative approach, data was collected through the use of semi-structured interviews and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to gain insight along the pathway to recovery, the challenges, catalysts, and changes, within a developmental context (Braun & Clark, 2022). Analysis resulted in six major themes related to resilience theory, early middle adulthood, developmental changes, ecological systems theory, and the experience of navigating the recovery pathway. These themes revealed the pathway to long-term recovery to be protracted, relational, personal, developmental, and greatly transformative and required great amounts of innate resilience, mobilization, supportive systems, deep uprooting, and a reclamation of self. A recovery journey was that of life, with both changing external worlds and changing internal worlds and the looking to future with hope. The place of long-term recovery was described as a time of rest, with the shift of focus away from recovery and towards life itself. The study concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of these results, strengths and potential limitations, and recommendations for further research.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School and Counselling Psychology

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Baragar, Kelsi

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McIntyre, Laureen

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Kemp-Koo, Debra
• Squires, Vicki

• eating disorder
• recovery
• long-term recovery
• early-middle adulthood

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/18095

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/18095