Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Antonio Cepeda-Benito
Abstract
The objective of my dissertation was to contribute to the understanding of body image dissatisfaction in men. Study 1 was a systematic review of the literature from the past decade, focusing on studies which examined the association between body image and mental health, specifically depression, anxiety, and self-esteem, in men. The results and methodology of the reviewed studies were highly heterogeneous. There were more than 55 different measures of body image utilized, which could generally be classified as thinness-oriented, muscularity-oriented, or general measures of body image satisfaction. The associations between body image and mental health were highly heterogeneous, and differed based on measurement type and sample characteristics, including sexual orientation and age-range of the sample. Study 2 expanded on these findings to improve understanding of the extent to which the type of BID assessed impacts the relationship between body image and mental health in men, and whether these potential differences differ based on sexual orientation and age. A Qualtrics survey was administered to 325 gay and 325 straight men between the ages of 18 and 91 (M = 47.74, SD = 17.59). Data was analyzed using a multiple group path analysis with drive for thinness, drive for muscularity, and body appreciation predicting anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, with age moderating these associations. The results indicated that all three measures of BID are important predictors of mental health in straight men, but only body appreciation is associated with mental health in gay men. Age appeared to have a moderating effect on only select associations between body image and mental health in the present study. This study highlights the importance of considering type of body image assessed and sexual orientation important factors when examining concepts related to body image and eating disorders in future research.
Language
en
Number of Pages
90 p.
Recommended Citation
Pomichter, Emily, "The Association Between Body Image Dissatisfaction and Mental Health in Men" (2025). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 1965.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/1965