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Negative psychological correlates of the pursuit of muscularity among women
Author(s) -
Cunningham Mitchell L.,
Szabo Marianna,
Kambanis P. Evelyna,
Murray Stuart B.,
Thomas Jennifer J.,
Eddy Kamryn T.,
Franko Debra L.,
Griffiths Scott
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.23178
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , macroeconomics , economics
Objective There is increasing public and scientific focus on women's pursuit of a muscular and toned appearance. However, the psychological correlates of women's drive for muscularity are currently unclear. Therefore, we examined the associations of drive for muscularity with four important negative psychological indices among women: eating disorder (ED) symptoms, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Method A sample of 221 university women completed an online survey that included measures assessing the aforementioned constructs. Results Drive for muscularity evidenced positive associations with all negative psychological indices, except for anxiety. Muscularity‐oriented attitudes , as opposed to behaviors , demonstrated the strongest associations with ED and depression symptoms. Discussion Our findings make a novel contribution to the scant literature by demonstrating that women who endorse attitudes and/or behaviors geared toward attaining the female muscular ideal may be susceptible to experiencing ED symptoms and negative emotional states. This study provides preliminary evidence that muscularity‐oriented attitudes, in particular, may be a promising target for the treatment of EDs and negative emotional states in women with a preoccupation toward muscularity.