Bouncing back healthy: A look at resilience and eating disorders

Many of the risk factors for the development of an eating disorder stand in direct contrast to those factors that contribute to the construct of resilience. This study examined the relationship between eating disorder symptoms and resilience using a quasi-experimental correlation design. Participants in the clinical group were self-selected from an inpatient residential treatment facility, while participants in the nonclinical group were self-selected from university population. It was found that resilience is negatively correlated with eating disorder symptoms. Given the difficulty of treating and preventing eating disorders, clinical implications are discussed.