title: Health Belief Model deterrents of social support seeking among people coping with eating disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Eating disorders have the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric diagnosis (Sullivan, 1995). Understanding what prevents people from seeking or accessing that which can help them manage these disorders is critical to improving eating disorder outcomes. This study identifies specific barriers and deterrents individuals living with eating disorders perceive when deciding if and when they will seek eating disorder-specific social support.
  
  
  METHODS
  34 men and women living with eating disorders were recruited and interviewed regarding their experiences with managing their disorders, including reasons why they may forego seeking social support to help cope with these conditions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participant-reported reasons as to why they would forego seeking social support for the management of their eating disorders were framed against the five main constructs of the Health Belief Model. These include (a) perceived susceptibility to a health threat, (b) perceived severity of the health threat, (c) perceived benefit of protective health behaviors, (d) perceived self-efficacy with these protective behaviors, and (e) perceived barriers to performing these behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It could be argued that since this study does not focus solely on one type of eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, the barriers to social support may differ depending upon the characteristics inherent to the specific disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings can be used to inform and improve therapeutic interventions to produce better long-term outcomes among people struggling with eating disorders.
authors: Department of Communication, The State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY, USA. akey@fredonia.edu
authors: Jessica E
authors: JE
authors: Akey
authors: Lance S
authors: LS
authors: Rintamaki
authors: Tera L
authors: TL
authors: Kane
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult