Body dissatisfaction is associated with marked distress and often precipitates disordered eating symptomology. Body dissatisfaction in male... Show moreBody dissatisfaction is associated with marked distress and often precipitates disordered eating symptomology. Body dissatisfaction in male athletes is an important area to explore, as research in this field often focuses on eating disorders in female athletes. The current body of literature regarding male college athletes suggests that they experience pressures associated with both societal muscular ideals and sport performance. While there is a clear association between drive for muscularity and body dissatisfaction in college male athletes, no study to date has evaluated the efficacy of a body dissatisfaction intervention for this population. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of a pilot intervention program that targeted body dissatisfaction in male college athletes. Participants were randomized into an adapted version of the Female Athlete Body Project (i.e., the Male Athlete Body Project) or an assessment-only control condition. A total of 79 male college athletes (39 in treatment condition) completed this study for a retention rate of 84.9%. Participants in the experimental group attended three 80-minute group sessions once a week for three weeks. All participants completed measures of body dissatisfaction, internalization of the body ideal, drive for muscularity, negative affect, and sport confidence at three time points: baseline, post-treatment (three weeks after baseline for the control condition), and one-month follow-up. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to assess differences between conditions across time. Participation in the MABP improved men’s satisfaction with specific body parts, drive for muscularity, and body-ideal internalization at post-treatment. Men in the MABP also reported improvements in appearance evaluation and overweight preoccupation at post-treatment and one-month follow-up, and in negative affect at one-month follow-up only. Improvements in drive for muscularity were retained at one-month follow-up. This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility and efficacy of the Male Athlete Body Project. Show less
