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Decreasing Body Dissatisfaction in Male College Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Male Athlete Body Project

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Health Behavior
Interventions
Behavioral: Male Athlete Body Project
Registration Number
NCT04077177
Lead Sponsor
Illinois Institute of Technology
Brief Summary

Body Dissatisfaction (BD) is associated with marked distress and often precipitates disordered eating symptomology (Milligan \& Pritchard, 2006). BD in male athletes is an important area to explore, as research in this field often focuses on eating disorders in female athletes (e.g., Becker et al., 2012; Varnes et al., 2013). The current body of literature regarding male college athletes suggests that they experience pressures associated with both societal muscular ideals and sport performance (Galli et al., 2015). While there is a clear association between drive for muscularity and BD in collegiate male athletes (Galli et al., 2015), no study to date has conducted research aimed to attenuate the effect of BD in this population. The current study seeks to investigate a BD intervention for male college athletes. Participants will be randomized to an adapted version of the standardized Female Athlete Body Project (i.e., the Male Athlete Body Project) or an assessment only control condition. All participants will complete baseline and post-treatment measures of BD, negative affect, internalization of an athletic ideal, drive for muscularity, sport confidence, eating pathology, and unhealthy weight-control behaviors. Study aims are to determine if the Male Athlete Body Project intervention group reduces BD and related factors post-treatment, and to investigate whether these differences are maintained at 1-month follow up. Results will inform mental health and sport clinicians, coaches, and other personnel involved in an athlete's care about successful strategies for decreasing BD.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Male
Target Recruitment
83
Inclusion Criteria
  • Male
  • member of a university-sponsored varsity athletic team
  • over age 18
  • some endorsement of body dissatisfaction (i.e., scores greater than zero). To maximize generalizability, there are no additional inclusion criteria, consistent with recommendations from previous athlete Body Project research
Exclusion Criteria
  • NONE

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
InterventionMale Athlete Body Project-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change is being assessed with Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) - Appearance ScaleParticipants will complete this at baseline, 3-week follow up, and 1-month follow-up

This measure assesses body dissatisfaction and appearance concerns over 34 items. The total score will not be interpreted; instead, subscale scores will be reported and interpreted. The subscales are: Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Overweight Preoccupation, Self-Classified Weight, and the Body Areas Satisfaction Scale. For the Appearance Evaluation subscale, higher scores indicate a better outcome. Scores range from 7-35. For Appearance Orientation, higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Scores range from 12-60. For the Overweight Preoccupation subscale, higher scores represent a worse outcome. Scores range from 4-20. For Self-Classified Weight, higher scores represent the individual believing they are overweight. Scores range from 2-8. For the Body Areas Satisfaction Scale, higher scores indicate a better outcome. Scores range from 9-45.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Illinois Institute of Technology

🇺🇸

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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