Bourne, Laura;
(2025)
Towards an evidence base for clinical practice in Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): A multi-method investigation.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
ARFID was introduced to psychiatric nosology in 2013 to capture a disturbance in feeding or eating that results in failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs, and/or causes a marked impairment in psychosocial functioning, without the underlying weight or body image disturbances that are characteristic of other eating disorders. Given its relatively recent introduction, the evidence-base in relation to ARFID is limited, and as a result, so too are recommendations for best clinical practice. This thesis presents a multi-method investigation, using evidence from the current published literature, longitudinal data, and patient perspectives, with the aim of contributing to the ARFID evidence-base to inform practice and improve clinical management. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the central issues and key concepts that will be explored and sets out the aims and scope of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive and critical review of current ARFID research to assess the extent and nature of the literature, identifying gaps in understanding and posing recommendations for further study. Chapter 3 provides a further review of the literature, focusing on studies relating to ARFID and ARFID-like eating difficulties in autistic children and young people. Chapters 4 and 5 use longitudinal cohort data to explore the overlap between developmentally normal childhood picky eating behaviours and clinically significant difficulties with food and eating. Chapter 6 presents a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with caregivers of young people with ARFID to provide insight into its impact, nature and course, and causal, maintaining, and protective factors. Chapter 7 uses the same interviews to explore caregivers’ experiences of service use, and examines the barriers associated with accessing treatment. Finally, Chapter 8 discusses the findings of this thesis and considers the strengths and limitations of the research, as well as implications for future research and clinical practice.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Towards an evidence base for clinical practice in Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): A multi-method investigation |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. 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/10204299 |
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