| Eating disorders are serious and potentially fatal mental illnesses; however, many who suffer from eating disorders do not disclose their diagnoses. This study employed both a qualitative and quantitative approach in order to communicatively explore the connections between communication apprehension and likelihood of an eating disorder, to uncover the reasons why sufferers of eating disorders choose to interpersonally disclose their diagnoses and to better understand the ways sufferers conceptualize their illnesses and the act of eating disorder disclosure. The study found that communication apprehension is correlated with likelihood of an eating disorder, and illuminated several key themes across which sufferers of eating disorders conceptualize their disorder and disclosure thereof. Communication privacy management theory and face theory offer useful frameworks for understanding these conceptualizations as applied to potential use for encouraging sufferers to enter recovery. |
