JNSS 2025, 16(3-4):105-111 | DOI: 10.32725/jnss.2025.012

Eating disorders as a form of control and silent protest

Klaudie Němečková ORCID...^*, Alena Hricová ORCID...

University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Social and Special-paedagogical Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

This qualitative study focuses on the subjective experiences of adolescents with eating disorders (ED) and their significance in the context of life. The aim was to understand how young people perceive their disorder, how they live with it, and what function it fulfils in their lives; whether as a way of survival, control over chaos, silent protest against the environment, or expression of inner pain. The research group consisted of twelve adolescents aged 14-18 who were struggling with various forms of ED. The data were obtained through in-depth interviews and analysed using grounded theory. The analysis identified six main categories: the need for control in an environment of uncertainty, the body as a means of expressing pain and non-acceptance, silence as a form of self-protection, contradictory experiences with professional help, family dynamics and paradoxical security embedded in the illness. Here, eating disorders appear as coping tools through which adolescents find order, boundaries and identity where other areas of life are disintegrated or threatening. The findings highlight the importance of relationship-oriented, long-term, and securely anchored care that allows adolescents to rebuild trust and develop more functional coping strategies. The research provides deeper insight into psychodynamics and highlights the importance of an individual approach in which the adolescent is perceived as an active subject of their own story, rather than a passive symptom bearer.

Keywords: Adolescents; Control; Coping strategies; Eating disorders; Support

Grants and funding:

The research is financially supported by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (project reg. No. GA JU No. 133/ 2024/S).

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: July 23, 2025; Revised: October 15, 2025; Accepted: November 11, 2025; Prepublished online: November 12, 2025; Published: December 12, 2025  Show citation