We want to hear your STORY – Join our new research study!

The STORY study: Characterising Illness Stages and Recovery Trajectories of Eating Disorders in Young People

What are we doing?

We are looking for young people with an eating disorder and healthy volunteers to take part in a 12-month-long study. 

The STORY study aims to explore the diverse experiences of young people with eating disorders and how they recover from them. How do symptoms progress over time and what characterises earlier and later stages of eating disorders? What factors help or hinder recovery? All this information will allow us to deliver more personalised and effective interventions for young people with eating disorders in the future.

Who can take part?

We invite people of all genders aged 16-25, who have an eating disorder or think they may have one. We also invite young people who have no history of an eating disorder or other major mental health disorders to take part in our control group.

What’s involved?

You will take part for one year, during which you will complete online surveys and simple tasks on your computer or your smartphone at regular intervals. You will also download study apps onto your smartphone for some active and passive measures. If you feel comfortable, you can wear a smart ring on your finger to measure your heart rate and sleep for the year.

If you live in London or Edinburgh, you can also attend two optional assessment visits at King’s College London or the University of Edinburgh, for example, to complete some psychological tasks or undergo a brain scan.

You will be paid up to £175 for taking part and may receive a smartphone from us, as well as a picture of your brain!

Who can take part?

To take part in STORY you must be:

• Aged between 16 and 25 years.
• Residing in the UK.
• Able to give informed consent for participation.
• Willing and able to complete online assessments via smartphone and/or computer.
• Willing to install an active study app onto your smartphone (or a provided one if you don't own one) that prompts you to do questionnaires at different times over the period of your participation (12 months).

You cannot take part in STORY if you:

• Are unable to independently understand the instructions of study assessments.
• Are residing outside the UK.
• Have a severe learning disability or any major medical disease which might impact your ability to participate in normal daily activities (e.g., due to hospitalisations).

Watch our recruitment video for more details:

For more information, you can download our Participant Information Sheet or contact us at STORY@kcl.ac.uk.

We look forward to you joining our STORY study!