Supporting friends and family members with eating disorders: discrepancies between intentions and reality

This study examined how female undergraduate students anticipated they would approach a friend or family member with disordered eating and what kinds of support they believed to be helpful. The relationship between eating disorder symptomatology and anticipated approaches also was examined. Participants read vignettes depicting scenarios involving a friend or family member with disordered eating and described their anticipated approach. They also rated the helpfulness of various support attempts, and completed the EDI-2. Although collaborative approaches were rated more favorably than controlling approaches, 76% of responses generated by participants fell into the latter category. Reasons for the discrepancy between support attempts offered and those that are believed to be most helpful and the implications of these findings to the treatment and prevention of eating disorders are addressed.