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

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