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Shahnaz, Arezoo

University of British Columbia

Eating disorders (EDs) and suicide are both public health concerns and common clinical problems among young adults. There is important overlap between EDs and suicide, in that individuals with EDs bear a heightened risk for suicide compared to the general population. Research thus far on the ED-suicide association has relied on cross-sectional studies using between-person designs; as a result, little is known about the temporal relationship between ED behaviors and suicidal thoughts in daily life, as well as the contexts in which ED behaviors and suicidal thoughts occur. To address this research gap, the present dissertation employed an ecological momentary assessment methodology to explore the short-term temporal associations and contexts of ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts. Specifically, the present study explored three main research questions: 1) the contemporaneous association between ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts measured 4 times each day for 1 week, 2) the time-lagged associations among ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts within each day, and 3) the contexts (i.e., activities, stressors, emotions, reasons) within which ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts occurred. Participants were 79 young adults (age 18-35) who screened positive for both ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts. Overall, the present dissertation demonstrated that ED behaviours, specifically purging and self-weighing behaviours, often co-occur with suicidal thoughts. In addition, binge-eating predicted subsequent suicidal thoughts within the same day – though no other ED behaviors predicted subsequent suicidal thoughts, and suicidal thoughts did not predict subsequent ED behaviors. Further, findings suggested similarities in contexts around ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts (e.g., being isolated, experiencing physical discomfort, feeling sad), as well as some differences. Findings are discussed in the context of the existing literature, along with their clinical implications for understanding and mitigating ED behaviours and suicidal thoughts.

Text

2024-09-12

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89227

Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/