Disordered eating: Influence of body image, sociocultural attitudes, appearance anxiety and depression - a focus on college males and a gender comparison

Abstract

This study is the continuation of a broader eating disorder study with a focus on males, which examines the influence of body image, sociocultural attitudes, appearance anxiety, and depression on disordered eating behaviors among college students. Based on EAT-26 scores, 10.5% of males were at risk of an eating disorder. Body image dissatisfaction was almost as common among males (65.2%) as females (68.6%) and BMI was not a significant predictor of dissatisfaction. Among participants who reported dissatisfaction with their bodies, eating disorder risk was higher among females than males. While there were differences between ABOUT THE AUTHORSThis study is a result of the synergy among faculty, who have been working together to examine disordered eating, not only to contribute to the knowledge base on the subject, but also to help their students more effectively.

Appearance-Related Social Networking Sites and Body Image in Young Women: Testing an Objectification-Social Comparison Model

“…Of particular note, within the context of the serial mediation models, neither CFB nor ILC directly predicted drive for thinness or body dissatisfaction despite moderate bivariate correlations between these variables. Thus, current findings support previous research (Koskina et al, 2011; Levinson & Rodebaugh, 2016; Turel et al, 2018) that showed associations between social appearance anxiety and body image concerns, and extend prior research that assessed the mediating role of general (rather than upward) appearance comparison (e.g., Brown & Tiggemann, 2016; Fardouly & Vartanian, 2015). The findings also support prior objectification-social comparison models (Fitzsimmons-Craft et al, 2014; Lindner et al, 2012; Tylka & Sabik, 2010) by confirming that both upward appearance comparison and body surveillance play important roles in linking SNS viewing of idealized media imagery (e.g., celebrities) and receipt of appearance-related feedback (i.e., likes and comments), with body image concerns.…”

“…Social appearance anxiety can be defined as the fear that one will be negatively evaluated by others because of one’s appearance (Hart et al, 2008). Clinical and non-clinical studies have found that social appearance anxiety is positively related to drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction, and have suggested that it could be an important vulnerability factor for eating disorders (Koskina et al, 2011; Levinson & Rodebaugh, 2016; Turel et al, 2018). Objectification theory highlights the role of appearance anxiety as a psychological consequence of habitual body monitoring, and research has shown that trait appearance anxiety mediates the pathways between self-objectification or body surveillance and eating disorder symptomatology (e.g., Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004; Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001; Tiggemann & Williams, 2012).…”

Body image perception, eating attitude and influence of media among undergraduate students of medical college in Delhi: a cross sectional study

“…The study also concluded that females more than males felt pressure to attain an ideal body. 30 Russello et al, in the USA found a statistically significant difference between male and female participants on sociocultural internalization scores as measured by the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ), where women reported higher levels of internalization than men. 31 In an interesting study, in a rural community in Western Fiji, the impact of the introduction of TV was studied.…”

“…Similar results were reported in a study conducted by Turel et al, where they found that males who scored higher on the socio-cultural scale, had an increased risk of acquiring an eating disorder. 30 Studies in the UK found that eating discord occurred only when socio-cultural ideals of attractiveness were internalized. For men, it was an athletic figure and for women it was thinness.…”

Methods to Assess Social Comparison Processes Within Persons in Daily Life: A Scoping Review

“…Further, a focus on women in the appearance domain reflects the historical view that body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors are more common among (or exclusive to) women. Although these experiences remain slightly more common among women than men, recent work has demonstrated that they increasingly occur among men (Turel et al, 2018) and trans/non-binary individuals (Sequeira et al, 2018). Little is known about how men and trans/non-binary individuals make and respond to comparisons-appearance-based or otherwisein their natural environments, limiting the potential for understanding the range of comparison responses and for tailored intervention in these groups.…”