Therapeutic Advances in Eating Disorders and Addictive Eating

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4767

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Health and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
Interests: disordered eating; addictive eating; paediatric nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Health and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
Interests: addictive eating; eating patterns; lived experience of eating behaviours

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Eating disorders are characterised by unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours that can affect physical, mental and psychosocial health. The prevalence of disordered eating is increasing globally, highlighting the need for appropriate and effective treatment and management approaches that are acceptable to people with a lived experience of disordered or addictive eating behaviours. Of particular interest in the disordered eating and addiction domains is the concept of addictive eating, or food addiction, which has garnered significant attention in both the general community and scientific arenas.

The aim of this Special Issue, “Therapeutic Advances in Eating Disorders and Food Addiction”, is to highlight emerging evidence around novel treatment and management approaches across a broad scope of disordered eating behaviours, including addictive eating, with a special focus on advancing knowledge of the lived experience of people affected by these behaviours.   

This Special Issue will provide health care professionals and researchers with emerging evidence around the therapeutic opportunities to assist in improving the health outcomes and wellbeing of people affected by disordered eating behaviours, with a particular focus on addictive eating. 

Dr. Kirrilly Pursey
Dr. Rebecca Collins
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • feeding and eating disorders
  • disordered eating
  • eating disorders
  • eating behaviours
  • eating attitudes
  • food addiction
  • addictive eating
  • intervention
  • treatment
  • lived experience

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 481 KiB  
Article
A Study of the Relationship between University Students’ Food Neophobia and Their Tendencies towards Orthorexia Nervosa
by Ayse Gumusler Basaran and Yagmur Demirel Ozbek
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 958; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13120958 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1181
Abstract
Food neophobia, known as an avoidance of the consumption of unknown foods, can negatively impact nutritional quality. In orthorexia nervosa, there is an excessive mental effort to consume healthy food. Individuals exhibiting symptoms of food neophobia and orthorexia nervosa may experience food restrictions. [...] Read more.
Food neophobia, known as an avoidance of the consumption of unknown foods, can negatively impact nutritional quality. In orthorexia nervosa, there is an excessive mental effort to consume healthy food. Individuals exhibiting symptoms of food neophobia and orthorexia nervosa may experience food restrictions. This study aimed to assess food neophobia levels and orthorexia nervosa tendencies among university students, investigate the potential association between the two constructs, and explore the effect of the demographic characteristics of the participants on the variables. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of 609 students enrolled at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University. The data were collected through Google Forms using a sociodemographic information form, the Food Neophobia Scale, and the ORTO-11 scale. Ethics committee approval and institutional permission were obtained for the study. Of the students participating in the survey, 71.9% were female, 14.6% were classified as neophobic, and 47.1% had orthorexia nervosa symptoms. The mean scores from the Food Neophobia Scale (39.41 ± 9.23) and the ORTO-11 scale (27.43 ± 5.35) were in the normal range. Food neophobia was significantly higher among those who did not consume alcohol. Orthorexia nervosa symptoms were significantly more common among married people. In the correlation analysis, no significant relationship was found between age, food neophobia, and orthorexia nervosa. It can be said that food neophobia in this study is similar to in other studies conducted on university students. In addition, about half of the participants had symptoms of orthorexia nervosa. This result is higher compared to other studies conducted with university students. The findings of this study indicate that the participants care about the healthfulness of food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Advances in Eating Disorders and Addictive Eating)
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16 pages, 293 KiB  
Article
Exploring Psychological Constructs in People Receiving Treatment for Addictive Eating Behaviours: “I Hate Loving Food as Much as I Do”
by Rebecca A. Collins, Kerith Duncanson, Janelle A. Skinner, Phillipa J. Hay, Susan J. Paxton and Tracy L. Burrows
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13100817 - 04 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1219
Abstract
Research into the complexities of addictive eating behaviours continues to develop, as a deeper understanding of this construct beyond self-report diagnostic tools emerges. In this study, we undertook structured interviews with 40 participants engaged in a personality-based management program for addictive eating, to [...] Read more.
Research into the complexities of addictive eating behaviours continues to develop, as a deeper understanding of this construct beyond self-report diagnostic tools emerges. In this study, we undertook structured interviews with 40 participants engaged in a personality-based management program for addictive eating, to gain insight into what situations lead people with addictive eating behaviours to overeat, and how they believe their lives would be different if they had control over their eating. A phenomenological analysis to explore compulsion and control in the context of food experiences for participants was used to construct two main themes of the addictive eating paradox and striving to transition from ‘other’ to ‘normal’. The addictive eating paradox identified multiple contradictory experiences of a situation, e.g., ‘loving food’ but ‘hating food’. Striving to transition from ‘other’ to ‘normal’ encompassed the idea that participants envisaged that by gaining control over their eating they could become ‘normal’. This study emphasises the need to provide support and strategies to help people navigate paradoxical thoughts and presents new ideas to increase the effectiveness of interventions for individuals struggling with the complex self-beliefs held by those with addictive eating behaviours. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Advances in Eating Disorders and Addictive Eating)

Review

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22 pages, 1125 KiB  
Review
“I Need Someone to Help Me Build Up My Strength”: A Meta-Synthesis of Lived Experience Perspectives on the Role and Value of a Dietitian in Eating Disorder Treatment
by Yive Yang, Janet Conti, Caitlin M. McMaster, Milan K. Piya and Phillipa Hay
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 944; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13110944 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1665
Abstract
Dietitians are included in eating disorder (ED) treatment teams for their expertise in nutrition. However, little is known about an individual’s experience of dietetic intervention as part of their ED treatment and what they value as part of dietetic care. Therefore, the aim [...] Read more.
Dietitians are included in eating disorder (ED) treatment teams for their expertise in nutrition. However, little is known about an individual’s experience of dietetic intervention as part of their ED treatment and what they value as part of dietetic care. Therefore, the aim of this review was to synthesise the available qualitative literature to understand the role and value of a dietitian in ED treatment from the perspective of individuals with lived experience. Six databases and Google Scholar were searched and a thematic synthesis and meta-synthesis of fifteen studies were conducted. Four themes were constructed from the data: (1) “guidance and structure”—Provision of nutrition knowledge and skills; (2) “having all my bases covered”—Dietitians as part of a multidisciplinary team; (3) Challenges in nutritional treatment; and (4) “it was my treatment and my recovery”—Person-centred dietetic treatment. Across all identified themes was the cross-cutting theme of a shared treatment journey between the dietitian and the individual receiving treatment. These findings support dietitians having a role that is not limited only to the provision of nutrition treatment in ED care and illustrates the importance of dietitians engaging with clients by centring on the individual’s needs and preferences. Further understanding helpful dietetic treatment components and identifying gaps in training is needed to develop these broader roles for dietetic care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Therapeutic Advances in Eating Disorders and Addictive Eating)
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