Childhood trauma, perceived social support and disordered eating: Join our research study

We need volunteers to help us research the links between childhood trauma and limited social support, and disordered eating in young adults.

Background information

What this research study is about and why we are doing it.

Previous research has found links between childhood trauma and disordered eating, as well as suggestions that individuals who have experienced more trauma during childhood are more likely to have an eating disorder.

Further research indicates that individuals with eating disorders also have lower levels of social support and connections with family and friends.

However, no previous study has investigated the links between childhood trauma, social support, and disordered eating in students and young adults. We want to explore this

How to take part in this research study

We are recruiting participants for this study until 26 July 2024.

Eligibility

To take part in this research study, you must:

be aged between 18 and 25
able to read and understand English

You do not need to have experienced adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, or an eating disorder to participate.

What you’ll do

You will complete an online questionnaire, which will take around 10-15 minutes.

This questionnaire is made up of four sections:

demographic questions (including your age and ethnicity)
questions related to potential childhood trauma you experienced
questions about your perceived level of social support
questions about potential eating disordered behaviour

Please only participate if you feel comfortable answering questions about these topics.

What you’ll get

Once you complete the questionnaire, you will be given the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw to win one of two £25 Amazon vouchers.

Ethics approval

This project has been given a favourable ethics opinion by the University of Bath Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Reference: 5140-5666.

Your data

All data collected will be kept entirely confidential. It will be stored securely on the University of Bath's servers. Only members of the research team will access the data for the purpose of the current study.

Storage of data will be done in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. Recorded data will be stored securely and confidentially in the University archives for a minimum of 10 years. Your name or any other identifying information will not be disclosed in any presentation or publication of the research.

Once this project is completed, other researchers at the University of Bath may conduct related research projects which could benefit from using the data that you provide. Further use of your data will only occur with your consent and only as part of projects which are given a favourable opinion by the University of Bath. Data will continue to be stored in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. Your name or any other identifying information will not be disclosed in any presentation or publication of the research.

Take part in this research study

Complete our online questionnaire

Contact us

If you have any questions about this research study, please contact us.