Alannah Woolford

Kia ora, my name is Alannah Woolford and I am completing my doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Massey University. My doctoral research will explore the experiences of women in midlife with an eating disorder. Using a narrative inquiry approach, the research aims to shed light on the experiences of eating distress for women in midlife as their voices in the literature continue to go unheard. Further, the literature indicates that eating distress is common in midlife, however, few receive treatment, this project will inquire about the barriers and facilitators to treatment seeking with the aim for change in public policies and improvement within this field. This research is particularly relevant post-covid, which saw a significant increase in hospitalisations and ED cases more severe than ever. Hansen et al., (2021) found increases in ‘new onset’ ED cases in adolescents and adults. This increase resulted in an already over-stretched public healthcare system being overwhelmed with ED cases resulting in further treatment delays. This is concerning as treatment delays have been shown to further entrench ED symptoms leading to poorer health outcomes and reducing chances of recovery. Eating distress has been described by both media and clinical literature as a ‘public health crisis’ suggesting it needs immediate attention and changes need to be made.