Eating Disorders in Collegiate Female Athletes: Factors That Assist Recovery

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that assist female athletes’ recovery from eating disorders. Forty-seven female collegiate athletes who experienced eating disorders responded to an open-ended question regarding factors that most helped their recovery. The most common factors were the desire to be healthy enough to perform in sport, support from others, and shifts in values/beliefs. A unique finding was that the desire to be healthy enough to perform in sport most frequently facilitated recovery. This knowledge can help treatment providers to foster athletes’ motivation to recover and distinguishes athletes as a unique treatment population from non-athletes.