City Research Online

Abstract

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study aimed to explore the experiences of romantic relationships among nine British Black women who have had Anorexia Nervosa (AN), seeking to develop a greater sensitivity as to how the illness can intersect with the impact of race, culture, and interpersonal factors. The findings highlight that Black women who have had AN can experience strong ambivalence about romantic relationships and that this is linked to several factors, including low self-esteem (LSE), conflicting feelings towards sexual intimacy and one’s body, and wariness of trust. The findings speak to the complexities involved in navigating boundaries in romantic relationships and highlight how AN can be experienced as not only a barrier to, but at times, perhaps more unexpectedly, also a facilitator of, intimacy. The study highlights how race and culture can conflate with the illness and risk isolating Black women in ways quite specific to them. This research can help support ethical practice by demonstrating a greater awareness of the diversity in individuals’ experiences, including those from socially disadvantaged groups whose voices have historically been silenced.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). © The Author(s) 2024.
Publisher Keywords:	Anorexia nervosa, black women, eating disorder, intimacy, race, romantic relationships
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Departments:	School of Health & Psychological Sciences School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Psychology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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