Disordered Eating in Undergraduates: Does Gender Role Orientation Influence Men and Women the Same Way?

Previous studies have examined the influence of femininity on disordered eating behavior in female undergraduates, but few studies have examined the relation between gender roles and disordered eating in male undergraduates. The present study examined whether gender roles relate to disordered eating behaviors the same way in male and female undergraduates. 512 undergraduates (58% female) at a large university in the Pacific West region of the United States responded to a survey asking about eating behaviors and gender role orientation. Women displayed higher levels of disordered eating than did men. Undifferentiated and masculine women had higher levels of disordered eating than did androgynous women, whereas undifferentiated and feminine men had higher levels of disordered eating than did masculine and androgynous me

Do Body Image Investment and Evaluation Relate to Bulimic Symptoms in U.S. Collegiate Men and Women in the Same Way?

Although research suggests that body image investment (i.e., drive for muscularity, orientation toward appearance, preoccupation with weight or weight gain) and body image evaluation factors (e.g., negative evaluations of appearance, overestimation of current weight) correlate with bulimic symptoms, the magnitude of these relationships may differ between men and women. The relationship between bulimic symptoms and the drive for muscularity, one form of body image investment theorized to be particularly relevant to men, is understudied in college students. This study examined bulimic symptoms, body image investment, and body image evaluation in American undergraduate students (84 men, 198 women). Bulimic symptoms were negatively associated with appearance evaluation and positively associated with appearance orientation, weight preoccupation, and weight overestimation in both men and women. Bulimic symptoms were positively associated with the drive for muscularity in men, but not in women. Awareness of the relationships between bulimic symptoms and body image investment and evaluation may help identify those at risk for bulimic symptoms

Does Self Esteem Moderate the Relation Between Gender and Weight Preoccupation in Undergraduates?

Previous research has established gender differences in self esteem as well as weight preoccupation. In addition self esteem is known to relate to weight preoccupation. However, no studies have examined whether self esteem moderates the relation between gender and weight preoccupation. Five hundred sixty seven undergraduates completed surveys assessing self esteem and weight preoccupation. Results showed significant gender differences in self esteem and weight preoccupation. In addition, the interaction between self esteem and gender had a small but significant effect on weight preoccupation. Counselors should be aware of this when designing programs to treat weight preoccupation in conjunction with low self esteem, especially for women

Mending Broken Fences

Tears streamed freely down my face as I watched waves crash on the beach. My husband put his arms around me. For what it\u27s worth, he said, I\u27m sorry this is happening to us. So was I. We\u27d been through so much in our twenty-one years together: the loss of both of our fathers and two dogs, six surgeries for my endometriosis, four failed rounds of fertility treatments, the loss of his job thirteen years prior that had placed all our financial burdens squarely on my shoulders. Despite—or maybe because of—all of these things, I knew my marriage was over

What Do Adolescents Know About Health?

The purpose of this study was to investigate what adolescents know about topies commonly covered in Health classes (eating disorders, exercise, nutrition, caffeine, and sleep) and whether students know aS much as they think thtey do about these topics. We found that 9% of the students correctly answered all of the exercise questions, 2% nutrition, 2% sleep, 3% caffeine, and 5% eating disorders. Participants did believe they knew more about their health than they actually did. Results suggest that knowledge can clearly be improved

Adult Attachment and Disordered Eating in Undergraduate Men and Women

Previous research on gender differences between males and females on the risk factors leading to disordered eating is sparse, especially on males and eating disorders using attachment theory. This study examined the relationship between adult attachment style and disordered eating in men and women. Secure attachment scores were significantly negatively correlated with body dissatisfaction, and fearful attachment scores were positively correlated with bulimia in women. For men, secure attachment was significantly negatively correlated to drive for thinness, bulimia, and body dissatisfaction. Clinical implications are discussed

Media Influence on Drive for Thinness and Drive for Muscularity

The present study investigated relationships between media influence (exposure, self-comparison to media ideals and internalization of media messages, societal pressure to have the perfect body, using media as a source of information about how to achieve a certain body ideal) and drive for thinness and drive for muscularity in 311 male and female undergraduates at a university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. We hypothesized that drive for thinness and drive for muscularity in both women and men would relate to body comparison/internalization, societal pressure, use of media for information, magazine consumption and television viewing. We also expected television and magazines would have different influences on men and women’s drive for muscularity and drive for thinness. Finally, we hypothesized that societal pressure and using media as a source of information would mediate the relation between media exposure (number of magazines read, hours of television watched) and drive for thinness and drive for muscularity in women and men. Students completed surveys on-line. Results revealed using media as a source of information on how to attain the ideal body mediates the relationship between drive for thinness and media exposure in women. Overall, it seems that media and the internalization of general/non-athletic body ideals may have an impact on drive for thinness in both men and women. Similarly, internalization of athletic body ideals may relate to drive for muscularity in both collegiate men and women in the U.S. Implications for counselors were discussed

Body Dissatisfaction: Commitment, Support and Trust in Romantic Relationships

Research investigating dimensions of relationship quality (Markey, Markey, & Birch, 2001; Pierce, Sarason, & Sarason, 1996) has suggested that aspects of relationship quality (e.g., commitment, support, trust) are related to lower levels of body dissatisfaction in women. However no studies have examined the effect of all three measures of relationship quality on body dissatisfaction simultaneously. Trust and support correlated with body dissatisfaction in men and women. Additionally the results showed that lack of support is a predictor of body dissatisfaction in men, lack of trust is a predictor in women; relationship commitment did not appear to relate to body dissatisfaction