Research on body dissatisfaction in college athletes is largely mixed regarding its prevalence and occurrence. Most of the current literature... Show moreResearch on body dissatisfaction in college athletes is largely mixed regarding its prevalence and occurrence. Most of the current literature indicates that athletes in lean-promoting sports, regardless of sex, experience greater body dissatisfaction than athletes in non-lean-promoting sports. Division I athletes as compared to Division III athletes report significantly more body dissatisfaction. This study sought to further investigate group differences between sport type, sex, and division level for the following constructs: body dissatisfaction, sport competitiveness, mindfulness, perfectionism, self-esteem, and sport confidence. A sample of 191 males and females completed self-report questionnaires. A series of six 2x2x2 factorial analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the data: sex (males vs. females), sport type (lean-promoting and non-lean-promoting), and division level (Division I vs. Division III). Results revealed a significant main effect for sex and body dissatisfaction, such that females reported high levels of body dissatisfaction regardless of division level and sport type. A significant interaction (sex vs. sport type) for body dissatisfaction was also found, indicating that males in lean-promoting sports reported greater body dissatisfaction than males in non-lean-promoting sports. Body dissatisfaction did not differ significantly by division level, but Division I as compared to Division III athletes reported significantly greater sport competitiveness, trait mindfulness, self-esteem, and sport confidence. As body dissatisfaction is related to disordered eating, future research should aim to examine the longitudinal trajectory of body dissatisfaction in college athletes and how it relates to the development of eating disorders. M.S. in Psychology, July 2017 Show less
