The Role of Religion, Spirituality and Social Media in the Journey of Eating Disorders

Mitra, Barbara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4512-466X, Hurst, J., Archer, D. and Lycett, D. (2024) The Role of Religion, Spirituality and Social Media in the Journey of Eating Disorders. In: European Conference on Religion, Spirituality and Health, 15/05/2024 to 18/05/2024, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg. (Unpublished)

Abstract

There is growing evidence that religion and spiritual beliefs impact eating disorder behaviours and recovery in complex ways. Whilst some religious beliefs engender feelings of shame and guilt, spiritual well-being and positive religious coping may also lessen the impact of body shape concerns and have an affirmative impact on recovery. Our study explores the religious and spiritual aspects of eating disorder recovery and the role of social media in the context of a third sector community-based recovery group (tastelifeUK) using focus groups. The qualitative findings highlight that religion and religious communities can be supportive but has the potential to be detrimental in relation to the recovery journey. Drawing on the voices of participants, our study highlights the importance of recognising spirituality and religiousness in relation to body image and eating pathology.

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