DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

The sample size was not adequate for further analysis of differences between ethnic
groups with an over representation of white Europeans as would be expected. Moreover,
the sample sizes of the various schools differed (e.g. one school only provided three
participants) considerably, but this variation is unlikely to be related to the findings at the
level of the individuals discussed in this thesis.
The relevance of adolescent developmental factors may be important in terms of
flexibility in emotional processing (i.e. cognitive developmental factors such as ability to
think abstractly). Although evidence suggests that inflexibility is associated with a wide
variety of disorders in adults implying that flexibility does not increase with maturation,
such factors would need to be considered longitudinally.
Another limitation is that information regarding physical health such as diabetes or
thyroid difficulties was not ascertained and such factors may have had an important role
to play.
Finally, most of the questionnaire data collected was self-reported and therefore liable to
participant biases.
Suggestions for further research
It may be useful to consider the effects of ACT on ED from a longitudinal perspective so
that to look at the prognosis of an ED in relation to ACT and to look to see whether
inflexibility causes and/or maintains the ED. Keel, (1997) found that following the course
of women’s eating over twenty years demonstrated that women’s disordered eating
decreased with ‘putative risk factors’ (i.e. dieting and body image dissatisfaction). It
might be useful to replicate this study to explore the relationship between flexibility and
maturation.
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