Representations of Anorexia Nervosa in National Media: A Frame Analysis of the UK Press

Abstract

This study explores the representation of anorexia nervosa in the UK press, to consider its impact, the insights it may offer as a barometer of public opinion and opportunities to consider developments in clinical practice. The study is a development of a previous study by the researchers (Bowen, Lovell & Waller, 2020), which employed an inductive approach to the analysis of anorexia nervosa in newspaper Twitter accounts, to test the viability of using those findings in a deductive study that would offer future opportunities for longitudinal analysis. The study identified four news frames employed by the UK national newspapers: social model; illness model; personal stressors model; and trivialisation model. The illness model, social model and personal stressor models were employed at a relatively similar frequency. The paper considers the implications for stigma, recovery and therapeutic practice.