West-Masters, Grace;
(2021)
A qualitative exploration of the experiences of an Intuitive Eating (IE) intervention during COVID-19.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Abstract Aims: There is a lack of qualitative research examining the experiences of learning to eat intuitively. This paper aims to present an in-depth exploration of the experiences of individuals undertaking an Intuitive Eating (IE) intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the experiences of IE principles, facilitators and barriers to implementing IE and the impacts of COVID. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 11 women who had undertaken an IE intervention, which they received at least partly during the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Results: 13 themes and five overarching domains were identified from the data: the experience of Intuitive Eating intervention was described as life-altering and a process of self-exploration. Participants described their experiences of finding liberation through lockdown and the challenges of COVID and discussed the societal impacts on their IE experience (‘not operating in a vacuum’). Conclusions: The study is the first to examine experiences of an IE intervention during a pandemic, providing novel insights. Findings suggest that overall the IE model was experienced favourably, with some respondents describing the principles as life-altering and challenging, such as developing unconditional permission to eat. It highlighted that the pandemic had both positive and negative impacts on IE, such as increased time to focus on treatment and fears of missing out on ‘in vivo’ learning due to the pandemic. Societal and social impacts were also discussed, including external pressures on body image and the role of support from others in treatment.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | A qualitative exploration of the experiences of an Intuitive Eating (IE) intervention during COVID-19 |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10139648 |
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