Abstract
Boarding school can create attachment issues and may contribute to eating related problems including disordered eating. This chapter reports the findings from interviews with 17 women who describe their experiences of boarding school and how these had a negative impact on their eating behaviour. The analysis indicates that while pre-existing issues such as negative family body-related scripts and the need for weight control may set the scene, elements of boarding school can exacerbate these problems. In particular, intense feelings of abandonment when sent away to school can compound the drive to use food as a form of comfort; body image criticism can be exacerbated by constant scrutiny and always being watched by friends at school; the competitive nature of boarding school can make achieving the perfect body a goal while paradoxically making food a means through which to gain status and popularity; and the rules, rigidity and control imposed upon food by the school structure can make food the ideal forum for rebellion which seemed to backfire as these women grew older. The findings illustrate that while not the only cause of disordered eating, boarding school certainly seems to play a key contributory role.