Eating disorders

Eating disorders are serious conditions that affect both physical and emotional health. They typically develop during adolescence or emerging adulthood, a life phase where people are especially vulnerable to loneliness.

Loneliness is a distressing feeling arising from a gap between desired and actual social relationships. In people with mental health problems, loneliness is linked to poorer clinical outcomes and recovery rates. Limited research suggests that loneliness may both trigger and worsen eating disorder behaviours. Conversely, eating disorders can also increase loneliness, as they make people more isolated from others, creating a vicious cycle. Despite its relevance, loneliness in eating disorders remains under-researched.

This project, led by Dr Başak İnce Çağlar from King's College London, will use data from the STORY study - which tracks the symptoms, progression, and recovery of eating disorders in young people aged 16–25. The team will explore how loneliness and eating disorder behaviours influence each other over time, considering factors such as illness duration, diagnosis, and individual circumstances. The researchers will also compare different ways of measuring loneliness, including questionnaires, smartphone apps and activity trackers, to determine the best methods for assessing loneliness.

Dr İnce Çağlar hopes that this project will inform the development of more personalised assessment and treatment approaches, that improve outcomes for young people with eating disorders.