Table 4 Overview of the articles to be included
Author(s), year of publication, country | Study title | Key research question/aim(s) | Participants | Data collection and analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Oickle, 1998 [27] Canada | A needs assessment: resources for males with EDs | What is the nature of the experiences with available resources or males with EDs and associated health care professionals? | Eight men, aged 18–42, diagnosed with an ED | Interviews Inductive analysis |
Drummond, 1999 [28] Australia | Life as a male 'Anorexic' | To highlight the significance of EDs amongst men | Eight men, aged 18–42, all had contact with SAABNA for ED presentation | Interviews Inductive approach |
Drummond, 2002 [29] Australia | Men, body image, and EDs | To explore issues relating to masculinity and men's health with respect to eating-disordered men | Eight men, aged 18–42, all had contact with SAABNA for ED presentation | Interviews Inductive approach |
Ashuk, 2004 [30] Canada | Narratives of males with EDs | What is the nature of the experiences of males who have an ED? | Two men over 18, diagnosed with an ED and accessing ED services | Interviews Narrative research |
Wertheimer, 2006 [31] America | Gay men with eds and food, body image and exercise concerns: a group treatment approach | Explore the participants’ experiences in the group and the features of the group that may have contributed to its impact | 10 men, aged 30–47, who met diagnostic criteria for an ED. Eight were Caucasian, one mixed race and one Mexican American | Interviews Grounded theory |
Robinson, Mountford, & Sperlinger, 2012 [32] United Kingdom | Being men with EDs: perspectives of male ED service-users | What is it like for men to live with an ED? What is it like for men to seek treatment for an ED? What is it like for men to receive treatment for an ED? | Eight men, aged 24–56, all with a diagnosed ED and receiving treatment for the ED. All participants were white British or white Irish | Interviews IPA |
Björk, Wallin, & Petterson, 2012 [33] Norway & Sweden | Male experiences of life after recovery from an ED | To explore adult males experience of recovery from an ED | 15 Men, aged 19–52, with a previous diagnosed ED | Interviews QPA |
Markham, 2013 [34] United Kingdom | Exploring men’s accounts of understanding and seeking help for problems with eating | To explore how men (in the UK) made sense of the development of an ‘ED’ and their experiences of living with and seeking help for the ‘ED’ | Eight men, aged 22–53, involved with an ED Charity with self-identified ED. All participants were white British | Interviews IPA |
Räisänen & Hunt, 2014 [35] United Kingdom | The role of gendered constructions of EDs in delayed help-seeking in men: a qualitative interview study | How do men make sense of their early (and later) signs and symptoms of disordered eating? How do they realise something might be wrong and require intervention? Are there perceived barriers to accessing primary care (or other) services for men with EDs? What are men’s experiences of health professionals’ responses to their initial presentations of ED signs and symptoms? | 10 Men, aged 17–25, eight diagnosed with an ED and two self-identified. Eight were white British, one was Latino and one was mixed race. Six were students, two were employed and two were unemployed | Interviews IPA |
Spyrou, 2014 [36] United Kingdom | Exploring men’s experiences and understanding of binge ED: an interpretative phenomenological analysis | How do men experience and understand BED? How do men with BED experience and understand the process of seeking, accessing and receiving treatment(s) | Six men, aged 22–50, with a formal diagnosis of (BED). Four participants were employed full time and two were self-employed | Interviews IPA |
Wallin, Pettersen, Björk, & Råstam, 2014 [37] Norway & Sweden | A qualitative study of males’ perceptions about causes of ED | How former male patients perceived causes of onset of their ED | 15 Men, aged 19–52, who had been diagnosed with an ED. Had received treatment and deemed to be in recovery | Interviews QPA |
Pettersen, Wallin, & Björk, 2016 [38] Norway & Sweden | How do males recover from EDs? An interview study | To investigate what males experience as helpful in their recovery process from an ED | 15 Men, aged 19–52, with a formal diagnosis of an ED. Deemed to have completed treatment | Interviews Content analysis |
Thapliyal, Mitchison, & Hay, 2017 [39] Australia | Insights into the experiences of treatment for an ED in men: a qualitative study of autobiographies | To explore the experiences of men who ever had any form of treatment for an ED | Six men, aged 25–50, with a diagnosis of an ED. Various stages of recovery. The occupations of the authors were: Restaurant critic, Salesperson, Writer and Producer, Library staff, Consultant, Writer & Speaker & Professional ED Counsellor | Autobiographical accounts Thematic analysis |
Tresca, 2018 [40] United Kingdom | An exploration of men’s experiences of motivation to change in relation to their journey with Anorexia Nervosa | Participants’ experiences of Motivation to Change including but not limited to what drives, impedes and challenges their journey with AN | Eight men aged 20–44, defined by researcher to meet criteria for an ED. Six were classed as recovered and two were in recovery. Four participants reported their nationality as British, one reported UK, one reported USA, one reported Italian and one reported Canadian. Seven men were employed and one was a full-time student | Interviews IPA |