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Background: It has been well documented that athletes are at an increased risk of developing disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. Over the last two decades, researchers have focused their attention on how teammates may influence athletes' eating attitudes and behaviours. Objective: To systematically review the literature relating to teammate influences on athletes' eating attitudes and behaviours. Method: A systematic literature search of the SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: (1) examined the relationship between teammate influence and eating attitudes and/or behaviours; (2) sampled actively training athletes; (3) written in English; and (4) published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Results: Twenty-four studies were included (n = 13 quantitative, n = 11 qualitative). Included studies were found to be of good or reasonable quality. Mechanisms of influence were categorised as (1) Teammate support (e.g., supportive teammate friendships, promotion of healthy eating practices, vigilance against disordered eating), and (2) Teammate pressure (e.g., conflicting teammate friendships, critical comments and appearance conversations, maladaptive team norms, and competitive comparisons). Conclusion: Teammates are an important source of influence on athlete eating attitudes and behaviours and these influences can be protective against, or engender an increased risk for, disordered eating. Additional, prospective research is required to enhance understanding of the mechanisms of teammate influences and to inform the development of interventions to reduce disordered eating among athletes.

Teammates have a powerful influence on athletes' eating attitudes / behaviours, but less is known about the relative importance of teammate influence mechanisms. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationships and predictive associations between teammate influences (e.g., modelling of teammates' disordered eating; supportive teammate friendships) and athletes' eating and exercise attitudes and behaviours. A further aim was to identify the presence of any gender differences. Athletes (N = 1172, mean age 24 years, n = 727 female) completed a survey exploring multiple teammate influences, eating and exercise attitudes and behaviours, and psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, self-esteem). Many significant relationships were identified between teammate influences and eating / exercise psychopathology. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that a perceived pressure from teammates to lose weight / change shape and perceptions that teammates engaged in disordered eating practices were the best predictors of higher eating and exercise psychopathology. Supportive teammate friendships was the best predictor of lower eating psychopathology and higher levels of healthy exercise behaviours. Encouragement / discouragement to eat healthily were also significant predictors. Teammate influences explained more variance in exercise than eating psychopathology, and total variance explained by teammates was higher for females compared to males. Teammates may have a positive and negative influence on the eating and exercise attitudes / behaviours of athletes; however, gender differences are apparent. Understanding teammate influences on the eating and exercise practices of athletes is important for the development of team-based interventions to reduce or prevent disordered eating and exercise. Future research should explore these relationships longitudinally, considering the role of moderating factors (e.g., sport type, stage of season).

Objective: Positive and negative influences from teammates (e.g., supportive teammate friendships, modelling of teammates' disordered eating) have been associated with athletes' eating/exercise psychopathology. However, research is yet to explore how an athlete's psychological well-being and gender may impact upon these relationships. This study aimed to explore whether psychological well-being mediates the relationship between teammate influences and eating/exercise psychopathology, and to determine whether gender moderates the significant mediation effects identified. Method: Athletes (N = 195, mean age 18.35 years, n = 110 female, n = 81 lean sport athletes) completed a survey three times over an 8-month period exploring teammate influences, psychological well-being (self-esteem, anxiety, depression) and eating/ exercise psychopathology. Mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were conducted.Results: Higher levels of anxiety significantly mediated the positive relationships between bulimia modelling and teammate pressure with eating and exercise psychopathology. Higher levels of depression significantly mediated the positive relationship between teammate pressure and body dissatisfaction, and the negative relationship between supportive friendships and body dissatisfaction. Higher levels of self-esteem mediated both inverse relationships between supportive friendships and a lower drive for thinness (fully) and body dissatisfaction (partially). Gender did not significantly moderate any mediation relationships.Discussion: Male and female athletes with poor psychological well-being (i.e., high levels of anxiety or depression) are more susceptible to negative teammate influences, while athletes with good psychological well-being (i.e., high self-esteem) reap the protective benefits of supportive teammate friendships. Understanding the circumstances under which teammates are influential is vital for the development of targeted intervention and prevention strategies to reduce athlete eating and exercise psychopathology. K E Y W O R D Sanxiety, compulsive exercise, depression, disordered eating, self-esteem

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