What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to understand how social media impacts the identity and recovery of individuals with eating disorders.

March 14, 2026Journal of Eating Disorders1 citationsOpen Access

“My eating disorder story”: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of social media, narrative identity, and patient influencers in eating disorder recovery

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Social media serves as both a risk and a resource in eating disorder recovery, influencing psychological well-being, social support, and identity work. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

LXLola XieHong Kong Baptist University XDXiaoxu DingUniversity of British Columbia Hospital RPRachel PattersonPennsylvania State University

Key Points

This research aims to understand how social media impacts the identity and recovery of individuals with eating disorders.
Conducted interpretative phenomenological analysis of narratives from patient influencers.
Examined social media's dual role as both a risk and a resource for recovery.
Highlighted patients' active engagement in digital spaces.
Social media influences psychological well-being positively and negatively.
Participants experienced both social support and stigma online.
Identity work is integral to navigating recovery in digital environments.

Abstract

By centering the voices of patient influencers, this study highlights how social media functions both as a risk and a resource in eating disorder recovery, simultaneously shaping psychological well-being, social support, and identity work. These insights underscore the need to view patients as active agents navigating digital spaces and call for treatment approaches that address the online environments where recovery, support, and stigma are continually negotiated.

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