Bullying’s Long Reach: Expanding the Understanding of Muscle Dysmorphia in Adult Men (76197)
Session Chair: Maya Kagan
Friday, 29 March 2024 12:05
Session: Session 2
Room: Room E (Live Stream)
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Muscle dysmorphic disorder (MDD) encompasses a fixation on body size and musculature and frequently leads to pervasive behaviors such as excessive exercise and avoiding social interactions due to body-related shame. Notably, a scarcity of empirically substantiated theoretical frameworks hampers our comprehension of MDD's genesis, alongside an incomplete grasp of associated risk factors. To address these gaps, this study strived to explore the effect of being subjected to bullying in childhood or adolescence on MDD experienced by adult men through sequential mediation by physical appearance comparison via self-esteem and social phobia. The study targeted Israeli men aged 18 to 67. The sample consisted of 973 men who provided responses through structured questionnaires. The research results indicated that the association between subjection to childhood or adolescent bullying and MDD was sequentially mediated by physical appearance comparison through self-esteem and social phobia. Subjection to bullying was negatively correlated with self-esteem and positively with social phobia and with physical appearance comparison. Self-esteem was negatively correlated with MDD, while physical appearance comparison and social phobia were positively correlated with MDD. The findings illuminate intricate links between self-esteem, social phobia, and physical appearance comparison, in the association between childhood/adolescent bullying and adult men's MDD. These findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive approaches in mental health interventions, providing tailored support for men's unique challenges and guiding policy.
Authors:
Maya Kagan, Ariel University, Israel
Asaf Dubinsky, Ariel University, Israel
Michal Mahat-Shamir, Ariel University, Israel
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Maya Kagan is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Ariel University in Israel
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