Predictors of Disordered Eating in Young Males

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Men's Health
• Eating Disorders

Background:

• Disordered eating (DE) symptomatology is often underestimated in males.
• Existing research lacks comprehensive understanding of DE pathways in men.
• Depressive symptomatology's role as a mediator in male DE requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine depressive symptomatology as a mediator between body image dissatisfaction, weight/muscle change strategies, media pressure, and DE in male undergraduates.
• To investigate the direct and indirect effects of various factors on emotional, restrained, and emotional eating behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 260 male undergraduates.
• Self-reported questionnaires were used to collect data on body image, media pressure, weight change strategies, depressive symptomatology, and DE.
• Path analyses were employed to analyze the proposed mediation model.

Main Results:

• Media influence and strategies to decrease body weight positively affected depressive symptomatology.
• Depressive symptomatology positively predicted emotional eating.
• Media influence directly predicted emotional eating; the link between weight change strategies and emotional eating was partially mediated by depression.

Conclusions:

• Depressive symptomatology plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between media pressure, weight change strategies, and emotional eating in men.
• Findings underscore the importance of addressing body image and media influences in male disordered eating prevention.
• Results can inform the development of targeted educational and prevention programs for disordered eating in academic settings.