Ninety Minutes of Freedom: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Role that Sport Plays on an Athlete with an Eating Disorder

Abstract

Eating disorders (ED) are serious and potentially life-treating mental disorders that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Researchers have indicated that athletes who participate in sports are at a greater risk of developing an ED than members of the general population. Previous research has focused on investigating the prevalence and symptomatology of eating disorder sufferers. Limited qualitative research has sought to analyze the lived experiences of patients and especially athletes with an ED. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to provide a platform for an athlete who was clinically diagnosed with an ED to share their story and highlight how playing a sport affected their condition. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one female athlete who participated in a non-weight-centered sport. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand the experiences of the athlete and investigate how participation in a competitive sport impacted their eating disorder. Four superordinate themes emerged from the data: family dysfunction, life transitions, control over emotions, and social support needs. The findings from this study were atypical in comparison to current research. Although participating in football exacerbated the symptoms of the participant’s eating disorder, it was not involved in the aetiology as previous research has indicated. Football provided the participant with an outlet to separate from the powerful stressors she faced.