Request for Participants

The relationship between attachment, core beliefs and eating disorders

Introduction to the research and invitation to take part.
My name is Ceri Jones and I am currently running a collaborative study, funded by the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust and the University of Birmingham which aims to investigate the relationship between parental attachment, core beliefs and eating disorder development. I am attempting to recruit as many eating disorder sufferers as possible to the study and would appreciate your participation.

What is this research study about?
Previous research has shown that women with eating disorders report very similar family backgrounds and attachment experiences. Attachment refers to the bond that forms between a child and one or two specific people with whom that child regularly interacts. It has also been found that how a person is treated by their parents can affect the way in which they think about themselves, other people and the world in general. These patterns of thought are known as Core Beliefs. This study aims to provide an understanding about how the bonds which individuals had with their parents in childhood can affect their feelings about themselves and the world and how these factors may have influenced disturbed eating patterns.

Why is this research so important?
If we can show that there is a link between the relationships that individuals have with their parents in childhood, how they subsequently feel about themselves and how this affects eating disorder symptoms we will further understand how family environments can aid the development of, and hinder recovery from, eating disorders. This would allow us to provide better support to people attempting to recover from an eating disorder by offering interventions which deal with these issues and therapies which address the negative thought patterns which hinder recovery from eating disorders.

What will I have to do?
You can take part in this research by filling in some questionnaires. These questionnaires are about your memories of your relationship with your parents and your current beliefs and attitudes. Some of the questions are related to food and eating while others concern your feelings about yourself.

What happens if I don’t like a question?
The questionnaires raise some sensitive issues and ask some personal questions. Your participation is voluntary and you can leave out any question which you do not like or stop answering the questionnaire at any time.

What happens to the information?
The information gathered from you will be made anonymous and confidential. All information obtained will be treated in the strictest confidence and any forms which you sign will be kept separate from your data. Your data will be kept on a secure database at the University of Birmingham. The results of the study will be summarised and published for health professionals and clinicians to read but your name will not appear in any written work associated with the data.

Who else is taking part?
Women with a diagnosed eating disorder, under the care of the South Birmingham Eating Disorders Service are being invited to take part. Any patients with a diagnosis of learning difficulties, psychoses or with a high suicide risk will not be invited to take part. Students attending the University of Birmingham are also taking part in the study and members of the Eating Disorder Association (EDA) have been invited to take part.

What happens at the end of the research study?
Once you have filled in the questionnaires you can either send them straight back to me or, to save on your postage costs, if you contact me on any of the addresses below I will send you a prepaid envelope for the return of the questionnaires.

If you would like to be kept informed of the research then you may receive a summary of the research results at the end of the study. Please contact me with an address (home, e-mail or any other) and I will send you a copy of the results.

What happens if I have more questions or do not understand something?
If you have any other queries, or require further information please feel free to contact the researcher at any of the contact addresses below.

What happens now if I decide to take part?
If you are still interested in taking part you can download the questionnaires in Word format from the link below. If you would prefer, you can contact me and I will send you a copy in the post with a prepaid envelope for its return. Please complete the attached consent form- this will removed from your answers as soon as they are received. When completed please return the questionnaires and consent form directly to the investigator.

I would be very grateful for any assistance that you could give in this research.

Many Thanks,

Ceri Jones,
PhD Research Student
Department of Psychology
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
B15 2TT

Tel: 0121 414 3507
CJJ102@bham.ac.uk