Journal
BODY IMAGE
Volume 24, Issue -, Pages 137-144Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.01.001
Keywords
Disordered eating; Social media; Reddit; Content analysis; Social support; Eating disorder symptoms
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01DA039456]
- National Institutes of Mental Health [R21MH112331]
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Pro-eating disorder communities provide a refuge for individuals with eating disorders (EDs) who are ambivalent about seeking treatment. We investigated a pro-ED community on Reddit, an anonymous social networking platform with topical forums, to identify expression of behaviors aligned with ED symptoms and support for these behaviors. A content analysis on four weeks of topic-specific discussion threads (N = 125 comments, 115 replies to comments) was conducted to identify behaviors consistent with ED psychopathology and support for these behaviors (informational, tangible assistance, esteem/emotional support). Results indicated that the content aligned with expressions of clinically relevant ED psychopathology, with eating concerns (49/125) and shape concerns (47/125) being most prevalent. The majority (92/115) of replies provided esteem/emotional support to the comment author. Online interventions and/or recovery programs are needed to counteract reinforcing dialogue that occurs on social media sites, like Reddit, and promote ED recovery through supportive messages on these platforms. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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