The Changing Role of Academic Achievement Before the Onset of Disordered Eating in Academically High-Achieving Females

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the role of academic achievement in the process of stress and coping of academically high-achieving females before the onset of disordered eating. Fourteen academically high-achieving female adults who had developed disordered eating in high school were interviewed, using a semistructured interview protocol. The results of a timeline analysis revealed three phases in the complex interaction of stress and coping before the onset of eating disorder symptoms. Academic achievement was both a coping strategy and a stressor for all of these high-achieving females, but the role of academic achievement changed over the timeline. The findings of this study are potentially relevant for academically high-achieving females, their teachers, and their counselors.