Body Image in Collegiate Male Athletes: Education and Awareness on an Underexplored Topic

Body image involves perceptions and attitudes toward one’s own physical appearance (Phillips & deMan, 2010). Although female athletes have been given the most empirical attention, body image is also critical to the male athlete experience. The ideal male body is associated with leanness and muscularity (e.g., Baghurst 2009). Beyond attempting to meet societal expectations, male athletes may also experience pressures to maintain an ideal physique for their sport. For example, wrestlers may need to cut weight (Marttinen et al., 2003) while football players may need to increase size (Chatterton & Petrie, 2013). Although body image may be positive in many instances, some male athletes may experience body dissatisfaction or develop a psychiatric condition called muscle dysmorphia (e.g., Morgan, 2000). The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the importance of body image among male athletes, the potential pressures to alter one’s body in male athletics, and strategies for prevention.

Description

Alexander, S. M. (2003). Stylish hard bodies: Branded masculinity in Men’s Health magazine. Sociological Perspectives, 46, 535-554. American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed, text rev. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000. Anderson, C., & Petrie, T. A. (2012). Prevalence of disordered eating and pathogenic weight control behaviors among NCAA division I female collegiate gymnasts and swimmers. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83(1), 120–124 Baghurst, T., & Kissinger, D. B. (2009). Perspectives on Muscle Dysmorphia. International Journal of Men’s Health, 8(1), 82–89. doi:10.3149/jmh.0801.82 Burlew, L. D., & Shurts, W. M. (2013). Men and Body Image: Current Issues and Counseling Implications. Journal of Counseling & Development, 91(4), 428–435. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00114.x Carlat, D.J., Camargo C.A., Jr., & Herzog, D.B. (1997). Eating disorders in males: A report on 135 patients. The American Journal Of Psychiatry,154,1127-1132 Chatterton, J. M., & Petrie, T. A. (2013). Prevalence of Disordered Eating and Pathogenic Weight Control Behaviors Among Male Collegiate Athletes. Eating Disorders, 21(4), 328–341. doi:10.1080/10640266.2013.797822 Coppola, A. M., Ward, R. M., & Freysinger, V. J. (2014). Coaches’ Communication of Sport Body Image: Experiences of Female Athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 26(1), 1–16. doi:10.1080/10413200.2013.766650 de Bruin, A., Oudejans, R. D., Bakker, F. C., & Woertman, L. (2011). Contextual body image and athletes' disordered eating: The contribution of athletic body image to disordered eating in high performance women athletes. European Eating Disorders Review, 19(3), 201-215. doi:10.1002/erv.1112 Engel, S. G., Johnson, C., Powers, P. S., Crosby, R. D., Wonderlich, S. A., Wittrock, D. A., & Mitchell, J. E. (2003). Predictors of disordered eating in a sample of elite Division I college athletes. Eating Behaviors, 4(4), 333. doi:10.1016/S1471-0153(03)00031-X Francisco, R., Narciso, I., & Alarcão, M. (2013). Parental Influences on Elite Aesthetic Athletes' Body Image Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 22(8), 1082-1091. doi:10.1007/s10826-012-9670-5 Greenleaf, C., Petrie, T. A., Carter, J., & Reel, J. J. (2009). Female collegiate athletes: Prevalence of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. Journal of American College Health, 57, 489–495. Haase, A. M. (2011). Weight perception in female athletes: Associations with disordered eating correlates and behavior. Eating Behaviors, 12(1), 64–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2010.09.004 Heywood, L. (1997). Masculinity vanishing: Bodybuilding and contemporary culture. In P. L. Moore (Ed.), Building bodies (pp. 165-183). London: Rutgers University Press. Lovell, G. P., Parker, J. K., & Slater, G. J. (2013). Influence of Female Sports Dietitians' Physical Characteristics on Athlete Perception of Effectiveness. International Journal Of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 23(3), 282-286. Malete, L. L., Motlhoiwa, K. K., Shaibu, S. S., Wrotniak, B. H., Maruapula, S. D., Jackson, J. J., & Compher, C. W. (2013). Body Image Dissatisfaction Is Increased in Male and Overweight/Obese Adolescents in Botswana. Journal Of Obesity, 20131-7. doi:10.1155/2013/763624 Marttinen, R. H. J., Judelson, D. A., Wiersma, L. D., & Coburn, J. W. (2011). Effects of Self-Selected Mass Loss on Performance and Mood in Collegiate Wrestlers: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(4), 1010–1015. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e318207ed3f McCreary, D. R., Karvinen, K., & Davis, C. (2006). The relationship between the drive for muscularity and anthropometric measures of muscularity and adiposity. Body Image, 3, 145-152. McNulty, K. Y., Adams, C. A., Anderson, J. M., & Affenito, S. G. (2001). Development and validation of a screening tool for disordered eating in female athletes. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 101, 886–892 Mishkind, M. E., Rodin, J., Silberstein, L. R., & Striegel-Moore, R. H. (1986). The embodiment of masculinity: Cultural, psychological, and behavioral dimensions. American Behavioral Scientist, 29, 545-562. Morgan, J. F. (2000). From Charles Atlas to Adonis complex: Fat is more than a feminist issue. Lancet, 356, 1372-1374. Phillips, N., & deMan, A.F (2010). Weight status and body image satisfaction in adult men and women. North American Journal Of Psychology, 12, 171-183 Ricciardelli, L. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2003). Sociocultural and individual influences on muscle gain and weight loss strategies among adolescent boys and girls. Psychology in the Schools, 40, 209?224. Ricciardelli, L. A., McCabe, M. P., & Ridge, D. (2006). The construction of the adolescent male body through sport. Journal of Health Psychology, 11, 577?587 Ricciardelli, L. A., McCabe, M. P., Williams, R. J., & Thompson, J. K. (2007). The role of ethnicity and culture in body image and disordered eating among males. Clinical Psychology Review, 27(5), 582–606. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.016 Riebl, S. K., Subudhi, A. W., Broker, J. P., Schenck, K., & Berning, J. R. (2007). The Prevalence of Subclinical Eating Disorders among Male Cyclists. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 107(7), 1214–1217. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.04.017 Ross, M. W. (1985). Actual and Anticipated Societal Reaction to Homosexuality and Adjustment in Two Societies. Journal Of Sex Research, 21(1), 40.

Collections

The Spectrum: A Scholars Day Journal