Fathers' experiences of their sons' eating disorder experiences: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
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- Title
- Fathers' experiences of their sons' eating disorder experiences: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
- Creator
- Kirsty Manning
- Supervisor
- Dr Helen Damon and Dr Angie Cucchi.
- Date
- 2021
- Abstract
- Male eating disorder experiences (EDEs) have historically been misperceived as rare and atypical. Consequently, men have been underrepresented and misunderstood in research and practice. With high mortality and poor recovery rates, EDEs do not just affect those directly experiencing them. Parents of men with EDEs report negative impacts on their psychosocial wellbeing, and distinct challenges compared to parents of women with EDEs. However, fathers' experiences have been underexplored relative to those of mothers. No study has focused on the experiences of fathers of sons with EDEs as a distinct subset. With a social justice agenda at its core, counselling psychology (CoP) is well positioned to give these fathers a voice. This study asked the question What are fathers' experiences of their sons' EDE?. Seven UK-based fathers of 16-24-year-old sons with EDEs participated in semistructured interviews. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) generated three superordinate themes: The eating disorder challenges a shared sense of masculinity, Threes a crowd: The eating disorder invades and alters the sanctity of the father-son relationship, and Chaos and adjustment: The eating disorder experience threatens fathers' masculine identities. A transcending theme of dualistic processes, including gender binaries, was highlighted. An original contribution of this study relates to the significant role of gender expectations and constructions within participants' understanding of, and response to, the EDE. Clinical implications involve suggestions for engaging with and supporting fathers of sons therapeutically, including an attention to masculine ideologies and identities, and the ways in which they influence fathers' emotional expression of distress. Avenues for future research include the importance of, and ways of exploring, fathers' embodied experiences.
- Subject
- Eating disorders|Fathers and sons|Psychology|
- Psychology and Counselling
- Extent
- 177 pages ; 30 cm
- Format
- Publisher
- Regent's University London
- degree
- PhD in Counselling Psychology
- Description
- EThOS ID: 842075
- Language
- English
- Date Issued
- 2021
- Type
- Thesis & Dissertation
- Rights Holder
- Regent's University London & Kirsty Manning
- Item sets
- Theses or Dissertation