Eating Disorders in the Workplace: A Qualitative Investigation of Women’s Experiences

Siegel, Jaclyn A.; Sawyer, Katina

doi:10.1177/0361684318812475

Cited by 17 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 104 publications

(100 reference statements)

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“…Providing additional data which highlights objective strengths such as high workplace participation may help to de-stigmatize living with an eating disorder and promote inclusivity [ 43 ]. Increased recognition of high workplace participation in AN may be used to promote more specific investigation of work as a potential recovery factor, and to provide focused support for the everyday challenges posed by the workplace [ 35 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Everyday flexibility and functional milestones in anorexia nervosa: survey results from a mixed community sample

2021

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Purpose This study examined the relationship between self-reported cognitive-behavioral flexibility scores on the Eating Disorder Flexibility Index (EDFLIX) and objective social and occupational functional milestones in participants with a lifetime diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN). The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) was included to compare objective and subjective measures. Methods 114 female adult participants with a current (53.5%) or past (46.5%) full or partial AN syndrome diagnosis completed an online survey which included functional milestone questions, the EDFLIX, WSAS, EDE-Q, and DASS-21. Results Everyday flexibility scores were significantly associated with WSAS scores, but not functional milestones for the same domain. Lower flexibility was related to higher WSAS work impairment but was not associated with poor occupational outcomes. Lower flexibility was related to higher WSAS social impairment but was not associated with less frequent social contact with friends. Milestones across work, social and relationship areas were not significantly correlated, suggesting individuals have areas of strength and weakness across functional domains. In contrast, WSAS ratings indicated broad functional impairment. Conclusion Results from the milestones suggest self-reported cognitive-behavioral flexibility is not a strong determinant of everyday function. Results from the subjective WSAS function measure and the more objective functional milestones were not consistent. To obtain a more balanced assessment of everyday functioning in AN, both subjective and objective measures should be considered. Level of evidence Level III Case–control analytic study. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40519-021-01300-7.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Everyday flexibility and functional milestones in anorexia nervosa: survey results from a mixed community sample

2021

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“…Finally, rigorous qualitative methods can provide a foundation for gathering information on employees’ lived experiences with mental illness, including the ways in which it disrupts, modifies, or enhances their job. Recent explorations of specific mental illnesses, such as depression (Follmer & Jones, 2017a), eating disorders (Siegel & Sawyer, 2017), and autism (Johnson & Joshi, 2016), have been useful in revealing specific strategies that individuals and organizations can use to better manage these conditions.…”

Section: Mental Illness In the Workplace: A Future Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Illness in the Workplace: An Interdisciplinary Review and Organizational Research Agenda

Follmer

Jones

2017

Journal of Management

158

154

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Given the prevalence of and consequences associated with mental illness in the workplace, we believe this review is both critical and timely for researchers and practitioners. This systematic review broadens the extant literature in both theoretical and practical ways in an effort to help lay a foundation for the organizational scholarship of employees with mental illness, a group that has traditionally been underrepresented in the management and industrial-organizational psychology literatures. After defining and conceptualizing mental illness as a social identity, we systematically review the existing empirical research on employees with mental illness across multiple fields of study. Using research that accounts for individual, other, and organizational perspectives, we present a model that outlines the performance, employment, career, and discriminatory outcomes that characterize the experiences of individuals with mental illness as well as individual and organizational strategies that moderate the relationship between having a mental illness and experiencing those outcomes. Together, this article provides a synthesis of what is known about employees with mental illness while also highlighting avenues for future scholarly attention.

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“…There are very few studies investigating the role of the workplace for eating disorder recovery. A qualitative study by Siegel and Sawyer [7] showed that the participants placed great importance on workplace factors, such as supportive managers and colleagues, when it came to either reach or stay in recovery. Previous research has also shown that the workplace is an important arena for recovery from other types of mental ill-health, such as depression and anxiety [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The workplace has, however, been shown to be a potentially difficult site for symptom management for women with eating disorders. Certain workplace stressors such as leader intolerance, co-worker awareness, schedule conflicts, and health-focused workplaces moderate the type of strategy used for stress management, and the findings of Siegel and Sawyer [ 7 ] indicate that management techniques used may contribute to either relapses or recovery of the eating disorder.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploratory analysis of work engagement among women with and without disordered eating

2021

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Background Around 10% of the female population is estimated to have a subclinical eating disorder. Many of these women are of working age. Previous research has shown associations between unhealthy eating behaviors and occupational stress or burnout. However, no previous study has explored the association between disordered eating and work engagement, a positive, fulfilling, affective-cognitive state of mind which has been positioned as the conceptual opposite of burnout. Thus, that was the aim of the present study. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 701 Swedish women completed the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). They were divided into a Healthy Eating (HE) and a Disordered Eating (DE) group based on their EDE-Q scores. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to test the association between disordered eating and work engagement. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to assess the associations between educational level, marital status and age group, and work engagement. Results Neither the UWES scores nor the EDE-Q scores were found to have a normal distribution. Non-parametric testing showed that the DE group reported significantly lower work engagement than the HE group (p = 0.016). There were no significant associations between education, marital status or age (independent variables) and work engagement (dependent variable) (p = 0.826, 0.309, and 0.349, respectively). Conclusion These findings indicate that work engagement may play a role in disordered eating, and that there is a need for future research to consider the workplace environment as a potential source for altering disordered eating behaviors.

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Eating Disorders in the Workplace: A Qualitative Investigation of Women’s Experiences

Cited by 17 publications

References 104 publications

Everyday flexibility and functional milestones in anorexia nervosa: survey results from a mixed community sample

Everyday flexibility and functional milestones in anorexia nervosa: survey results from a mixed community sample

Mental Illness in the Workplace: An Interdisciplinary Review and Organizational Research Agenda

An exploratory analysis of work engagement among women with and without disordered eating

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