The prevalence of Eating Disordered, Depressive and comorbidity Symptoms in Endurance Athletes and the general population

I would like to thank you for participating in this research. If you have any questions relating to the research, please do not hesitate to contact the lead researcher on the contact details located at the bottom of this form.

What is the purpose of this study?

The study aims to examine the prevalence of (1) eating disordered symptoms, (2) depressive symptoms and (3) comorbidity of both disorders in a sample of endurance athletes and non-athletes. It is important for psychologists and health professionals to investigate these conditions as eating disorders and depression can have both long-lasting physiological and psychological consequences. In recent years, athletes have been identified as a group being at increased risk of developing eating disorders. Thus our investigation will compare athlete mental health and well being for these conditions compared to a sample of people from the general population.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

I hope that participating in this study will be beneficial for you, as it is likely to act as a way to reflect on issues that may (or not) have concerned you recently. However, if you feel that you need advice on gaining help please contact one of the following services below.

Support services

If the research has upset or distressed you in any way, or should you feel that you need advice or help, you may find the following support agencies useful:

University counselling service (a free professional and confidential counselling service offered by UCLan to UCLAN students and staff)
Tel: 01772 892572; Email: CoRecep@uclan.ac.uk

If you are a non-UCLAN student and feel that you need advice or help, please contact your university counselling service.

Samaritans (a confidential free support service)
Tel: 08457 90 90 90; Email: jo@samaritans.org

BeAT (an eating disorder specialist) www.b-eat.co.uk
Tel: 0845 634 1414; Email: help@b-eat.co.uk

Complaints

If you have any complaints regarding the research you may first want to contact the lead researcher. Alternatively you may wish to speak to the academic supervisor, Dr Vaithehy Shanmugam (vshanmugam@uclan.ac.uk). If you would like to contact someone independent from the research, you may like to contact the Dean of the School of Psychology, Prof Linden Ball (Lball@uclan.ac.uk).

Results

If you would like to know the results of the research, I will be happy to send you a report of the findings (upon request), but please note that I will not be able to offer specific details pertaining to yourself.

What will happen to the results of the research study?

The results will be published as part of a PhD thesis and it is anticipated that the findings will be published in a sports or medical journal. You will be notified of how to obtain results once the study is completed (if requested). The results may also be presented at conferences. In all instances, no names or any other identifying features of participants will appear.

Who has reviewed the study?

The study has been subject to review by experts in the field and ethical approval has been granted by UCLan.

Contact for further information

If you have any further questions, please contact myself or:

Stuart Holliday (PhD researcher)
Tel: (0) 1772 893875
Email: SHolliday3@uclan.ac.uk

Vaithehy Shanmugam (PhD Supervisor)
Tel: (0) 1772 893257
Email: v.shanmugam@uclan.ac.uk

Mental health & well being of endurance athletes