Thinking about internal states, a qualitative investigation into metacognitions in women with eating disorders

Background: There is a need for qualitative research to help develop case conceptualisations to guide the development of Metacognitive Therapy interventions for Eating Disorders. Method: A qualitative study informed by grounded theory methodology was conducted involving open-ended interviews with 27 women aged 18-55 years, who were seeking or receiving treatment for a diagnosed ED. Results: The categories identified in this study appeared to be consistent with a metacognitive model including constructs of a Cognitive Attentional Syndrome and metacognitive beliefs. These categories appear to be transdiagnostic, and the interaction between the categories is proposed to explain the maintenance of EDs. Conclusions: The transdiagnostic model proposed may be useful to guide the development of future metacognitive therapy interventions for EDs with the hope that this will lead to improved outcomes for individuals with EDs.