Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

Committee Chair/Advisor

Ashlyn Hardie

Committee Member

Jasmine Townsend

Committee Member

Brooke Bennett

Committee Member

Lauren Stephens

Abstract

Compulsive exercise (CE) is a clinically significant, under-treated feature of transdiagnostic eating disorders (EDs). Exercise, while widely regarded as health-promoting, can become compulsive, rule-driven, and functionally impairing in people with EDs, contributing to increased psychological distress, physical complications, and risk of relapse. Substantial gaps remain in the literature regarding how CE is experienced, sustained, and treated in clinical and non-clinical populations. This dissertation sought to address these gaps by integrating lived experience, conceptual development, and empirical evaluation to advance theoretical understanding of CE and intervention science for ED-related symptoms.

This dissertation moves from an in-depth phenomenological analysis to the development of a theory-driven intervention and a preliminary empirical evaluation. Study one employed analytic autoethnography and reflexive thematic analysis to examine the mechanisms underlying CE in the context of ED pathology and recovery. Drawing on autobiographical data, this study situated an in-depth examination of lived experience within broader theoretical frameworks. Findings supported dominant theoretical frameworks positing that CE is maintained by eating pathology, affect regulation, somatic dysregulation, perfectionism and rigidity, and compulsivity. However, the analysis extended existing frameworks by highlighting underexplored mechanisms, including somatic experiences, identity negotiation, and shifts in autonomy across illness and recovery. These findings challenge dichotomous conceptualizations of exercise as either pathological or healthy and instead embrace the nuances of maladaptive and adaptive behavioral processes in the context of EDs. Study one established a nuanced theoretical and experiential foundation for intervention development.

Study two translates the insights from study one and existing CE literature into the development of Project MOVE, a novel single-session intervention (SSI) designed to target core maintaining mechanisms of CE, including affect regulation difficulties, dysfunctional exercise beliefs, and autonomy. Project MOVE integrates Self-Determination Theory (SDT) with foundational knowledge of CE to articulate a coherent theory of change centered on those core mechanisms. The intervention was iteratively refined through stakeholder consultation and collaboration, including individuals with lived experience and ED experts, and was designed to be scalable and widely accessible. Project MOVE represents the first brief, focused intervention specifically targeting CE. This work prioritizes brevity and digital formatting to address the demand-capacity gap in ED treatment services and responds to calls for low-intensity, scalable interventions targeting persistent ED symptoms such as CE.

Study three provided preliminary empirical testing of Project MOVE using a single-arm quasi-experimental design in a non-clinical sample of individuals with CE thoughts, urges, or behaviors. Results demonstrated high acceptability and feasibility. Participants reported increased desire to stop CE, greater confidence in selecting alternative coping strategies, and reduced perceived likelihood of future engagement in CE immediately following the intervention. Improvements were also observed in dysfunctional exercise beliefs and autonomous exercise motivation. Although not designed to establish efficacy or long-term outcomes, these findings provide preliminary support for the potential utility of a brief, self-guided digital intervention targeting CE.

Collectively, these studies advance an integrative model for addressing complex, heterogeneous, pervasive ED behaviors by deeply examining the lived experience and theoretical underpinnings of the behaviors; identifying modifiable maintenance mechanisms; designing targeted, theory-driven interventions; and empirically evaluating their feasibility in scalable formats. This dissertation contributes to the theoretical refinement of CE, challenges behavior-suppression models of treatment, and supports autonomy-oriented, innovative approaches to recovery. Clinically, it introduces a novel, scalable intervention that may be used as an adjunct to traditional ED treatment, or in early intervention or prevention settings. Future research should evaluate longitudinal outcomes, adapt the intervention for clinical and athletic populations, and further integrate lived experience with intervention development.

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