Dr Phaedra Longhurst

Phaedra is a social and applied psychologist and carries out research into body image, eating disorder prevention, and the mental well-being of marginalised identity groups, including neurodivergent and disabled communities.

Email: [email protected]

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Background

Based on her lived experience as an AuDHD individual, Phaedra’s PhD (completed in 2025) was entitled ‘A mixed methods investigation into positive body image in autistic individuals, established a grounded theory of positive body image based on the lived experiences of autistic people. Using this theory, Phaedra developed a revised version of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 for use in autistic adults – the BAS-2A – and examined the relationships between body appreciation and indices of physical and psychological well-being in the autistic population. Phaedra was awarded the ARU Vice Chancellor PhD studentship to pursue this work.

In addition to this work, Phaedra has established a reputation in researching body image in the wider neurodivergent and disabled community. She aims to utilise this research to develop psychometric tools that measure body image and adaptive eating (e.g., intuitive eating) and co-designing interventions that aim to promote positive body image and prevent eating disorders.

Since 2025, Phaedra has joined ARU as a lecturer of psychology and is a member of the Empowerment and Social Justice group.

Research interests

Phaedra’s research examines body image and the prevention of eating disorders within marginalised social identity groups, situated in their broader socio-political contexts. Her work is particularly concerned with advancing theoretical frameworks that conceptualise how individuals perceive and experience their bodies and eating-related behaviours (e.g., intuitive eating) across diverse populations. Through this research, she seeks to generate evidence-based practices that foster health and well-being among underrepresented communities. Phaedra employs participatory and lived experience–informed methodologies within mixed-methods designs, by integrating qualitative inquiry with psychometric approaches.

Areas of research supervision

Phaedra welcomes applications from students interested in PhD projects on body image and eating disorder prevention. Specific areas of research may include:

• Body image among marginalised communities – namely, neurodivergent and/or disabled subpopulations
• Psychometrics, including the development of new and/or adapting existing measures for use in underrepresented social identity groups (e.g., autistic population, people who identify as gender diverse)
• Co-designing interventions that aim to promote a healthier body image and/or prevent eating disorders
• Autism and disability-related studies using participatory, mixed-methods design

Teaching

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Clinical Psychology (postgraduate)
• Self and Society (undergraduate)
• Culture and Health
• Essential Research Methods
• Qualitative Research Methods

Qualifications

• MSc in Psychology, University of Exeter
• PhD in Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University

Memberships, editorial boards

• Learning and Teaching in Practice, ARU
• Editorial Board Member for Body Image

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Phaedra is currently working on a research project funded by the Eating Disorder and Autism Collaboration (University of Edinburgh), Early Career grant. The project is titled: AuDHD people’s experiences, understanding, and perceptions of intuitive eating: A qualitative photovoice study. With colleagues from the US, she is continuing this project using psychometric research.

Phaedra has provided consultancy to various NHS trusts and/or services, specifically relating to autistic people’s access to care and eating disorder services. She also provided training workshops to researchers who specialise in body image and/or neurodivergence – for example, she recently gave a talk, titled ‘Neurodivergence and Body Image’ to colleagues from UWE’s Centre for Appearance Research. She also provided consultancy on disseminating The Body Project among neurodivergent school children.

Selected recent publications

Longhurst, P., Tylka, T.L., & Alleva, J. (2025). Measuring state functionality appreciation: A psychometric evaluation of an adapted version of the Functionality Appreciation Scale (S-FAS). Body Image, [in print].

Longhurst, P., Aspell, J. E., Todd, J., & Swami, V. (2025). Body appreciation mediates the association between satisfaction with autistic identity and flourishing in autistic adults. Body Image, 53, 101876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.101876

Longhurst, P., Woodworth, E. C., Cunha, I., & Rodgers, R. (2024). #DisabledBodyPositivity: A content analysis of body positive Instagram posts in the disabled community. Body Image, 51, 101801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101801

Longhurst, P., Todd, J., Aspell, J. E., & Swami, V. (2024). Psychometric evaluation of a revised version of the body appreciation scale-2 for autistic adults (BAS-2A). Body Image, 49, 101706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101706

Longhurst, P., Aspell, J., Todd, J., & Swami, V. (2023). "There's No Separating My View of My Body from My Autism": A qualitative study of positive body image in autistic individuals. Body Image, 48, 101655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101655

Recent presentations and conferences

For a full publication list, view Phaedra’s profile on ResearchGate