{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/31191"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/31191","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Why Do People Engage in Eating Disorder Behaviours?","abstract":"Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses often with poor prognosis. Personalizing evidence-based treatments based on an individual’s reasons for engaging in ED behaviours – or the functions of EDs – may improve treatment outcomes; however, no validated measures assessing these functions exist. The goal of this study was to complete the initial steps in developing a measure of ED functions. Individuals who engage in ED behaviours (n = 16) and clinicians who treat EDs (n = 14) were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to determine key functions of EDs. Four main functions of EDs were identified: 1) alleviating shape, weight, and eating concerns, 2) regulating emotions, 3) regulating one’s self-concept/ maladaptive schemas, and 4) regulating interpersonal relationships/ communicating with others. Self-report items were developed based on these themes to create a 102-item measure of ED functions that will be further developed and validated in future research.","abstract_html":"Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses often with poor prognosis. Personalizing evidence-based treatments based on an individual’s reasons for engaging in ED behaviours – or the functions of EDs – may improve treatment outcomes; however, no validated measures assessing these functions exist. The goal of this study was to complete the initial steps in developing a measure of ED functions. Individuals who engage in ED behaviours (n = 16) and clinicians who treat EDs (n = 14) were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to determine key functions of EDs. Four main functions of EDs were identified: 1) alleviating shape, weight, and eating concerns, 2) regulating emotions, 3) regulating one’s self-concept/ maladaptive schemas, and 4) regulating interpersonal relationships/ communicating with others. Self-report items were developed based on these themes to create a 102-item measure of ED functions that will be further developed and validated in future research.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kinnear, Abbigail"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Sc","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Bodell, Lindsay P."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-07-15","date_published":"2021-07-15","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:09Z","subjects":["Eating disorders","functions","reasons","binge eating","restricting","purging"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/31191","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Bodell, Lindsay P."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kinnear, Abbigail"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-10T18:52:49Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-10T18:52:49Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2021-07-15"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Sc"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Eating disorders","functions","reasons","binge eating","restricting","purging"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/31191"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses often with poor prognosis. Personalizing evidence-based treatments based on an individual’s reasons for engaging in ED behaviours – or the functions of EDs – may improve treatment outcomes; however, no validated measures assessing these functions exist. The goal of this study was to complete the initial steps in developing a measure of ED functions. Individuals who engage in ED behaviours (n = 16) and clinicians who treat EDs (n = 14) were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to determine key functions of EDs. Four main functions of EDs were identified: 1) alleviating shape, weight, and eating concerns, 2) regulating emotions, 3) regulating one’s self-concept/ maladaptive schemas, and 4) regulating interpersonal relationships/ communicating with others. Self-report items were developed based on these themes to create a 102-item measure of ED functions that will be further developed and validated in future research."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Why Do People Engage in Eating Disorder Behaviours?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bodell, Lindsay P."],"dc:creator":["Kinnear, Abbigail"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-10T18:52:49Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-10T18:52:49Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2021-07-15"],"dc:description":["The thesis cover page in the PDF document includes references to Western University’s previous institutional repository platform, known as Scholarship@Western, and links to that platform (beginning with ir.lib.uwo.ca). In citing or referring to this thesis, use the DOI or handle from this page instead. Sample citation: Author name, \"Thesis title.\" (Year). Western University Open Repository. https://doi.org/10.71858/123456."],"dc:description.abstract":["Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses often with poor prognosis. Personalizing evidence-based treatments based on an individual’s reasons for engaging in ED behaviours – or the functions of EDs – may improve treatment outcomes; however, no validated measures assessing these functions exist. The goal of this study was to complete the initial steps in developing a measure of ED functions. Individuals who engage in ED behaviours (n = 16) and clinicians who treat EDs (n = 14) were interviewed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to determine key functions of EDs. Four main functions of EDs were identified: 1) alleviating shape, weight, and eating concerns, 2) regulating emotions, 3) regulating one’s self-concept/ maladaptive schemas, and 4) regulating interpersonal relationships/ communicating with others. Self-report items were developed based on these themes to create a 102-item measure of ED functions that will be further developed and validated in future research."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/31191"],"dc:language.iso":["en_ca"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["Eating disorders","functions","reasons","binge eating","restricting","purging"],"dc:title":["Why Do People Engage in Eating Disorder Behaviours?"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Sc"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:56:09Z"}