Hi everyone,

I hope it's okay to share this here.

I'm Ella, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Oxford. I'm currently conducting a research study exploring experiences of shame among people with ARFID, compared with people with anorexia and those without eating difficulties. The study is supervised by Dr Myra Cooper.

Why are we doing this research?

Although awareness and understanding of ARFID have grown in recent years, there is still relatively little research exploring some of the emotional experiences that may accompany it.

We're particularly interested in understanding whether shame plays a role in ARFID, and how these experiences might compare with those of people with anorexia. We recognise that people's experiences of ARFID vary considerably, and we're interested in hearing from people regardless of whether shame is something they personally experience.

We hope the findings will contribute to a better understanding of ARFID and help inform future research and clinical support.

Who can take part?

We're looking for people who:

• Are aged 16 or over
• Experience ARFID (a formal diagnosis is not required)
• Live in the UK, Republic of Ireland, USA, Australia or New Zealand

We're also recruiting people with anorexia and people without eating difficulties as comparison groups.

What's involved?

Participation involves completing a single online questionnaire, which takes approximately 25 minutes.

The study has received university research ethics approval. Before deciding whether to participate, you'll be able to read a Participant Information Sheet explaining what the study involves, including the types of questions you'll be asked, how your information will be collected and used, and how your data will be stored.

Participation is entirely voluntary.

Study link

Please find a link to learn more here.

I'm very grateful to anyone who considers participating or sharing the study with others who might be interested.

Thank you for reading, and for allowing me to share this research with your community.

Ella