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Eating Disorders

Do Weight-Based Victimization, Gender, and BMI Significantly Predict Drive for Muscularity in Undergraduate Students?

(PS8-B26) Do Weight-based Victimization, Gender, and BMI Significantly Predict Drive for Muscularity in Undergraduate Students?

Saturday, November 19, 2022

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

TB

Tatyana Bidopia, B.S.

Clinical Psychology PhD Student
Fordham University
New York, New York

Co-Author(s)

YK

Yvette Karvay, M.A.

Clinical Psychology PhD Student
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
MS

Marco Symington, None

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
AJ

Alysha Jhaveri, None

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
JJ

Johanna M. Jarcho, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NB

Natasha L. Burke, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Fordham University
Bronx, New York

Weight-based victimization (WBV) has established links to BMI, gender identity, and the development of disordered eating. However, WBV has not been examined in relation to drive for muscularity (DM), a construct adjacent to disordered eating attitudes (i.e., drive for thinness), but more relevant for males, who are understudied in eating disorder research. This study sought to examine WBV, gender, and BMI as they relate to and predict DM to inform future research examining disordered eating constructs in males. We hypothesized that individuals within underweight and average BMI categories would endorse heightened DM, representing a potential covariate in the relationship between WBV, gender, and DM. Additionally, we anticipated that heightened WBV experiences would be associated with increased endorsement of DM in males, compared to females. 903 undergraduates (18-30y; Female = 79%; White = 56%, Black = 16%, Asian = 15%) completed measures of verbal (vWRV; i.e., teasing) and physical (pWRV; i.e., pinching) WBV (Weight-Related Abuse Questionnaire), height and weight to compute BMI (M = 23.83, SD = 5.03), and DM (Drive for Muscularity Scale) in January 2020-February 2022. A one-way ANOVA assessed whether DM varied across BMI cut-offs (underweight, average, overweight, and obesity) and whether to consider BMI as a covariate in proceeding analyses. Multiple linear regression analyses then examined whether potential interactions between gender and vWBV or, respectively, pWBV predicted DM. BMI category did not significantly predict DM, and therefore was not included as a covariate (F(3, 839) = 1.14, p = .33). A significant main effect of vWBV on DM, showed heightened experiences of WBV predict higher endorsement of DM, holding gender constant (β1 = .15, p = .01). Further, a significant main effect of gender on DM, showed women have lower predicted DM scores compared to men, holding vWBV constant (β1 = -1.00, p < .001). While the interaction between gender and vWBV was not significant (β1 = -.08, p = .28), vWBV and gender explained 17.94% of the variance in DM (R2 = .18, F(3, 650) = 47.36, p < .001). Further, a significant main effect of gender (β1 = -1.07, p < .001) on DM showed that women have lower predicted scores of DM compared to men, holding pWBV constant. There was not a significant main effect of pWBV (β1 = .11, p = 0.32) or interaction effect between gender and pWBV (β1 = -.01, p = 0.95) on DM. pWBV and gender explained 22.65% of the variance in DM (R2 = .23, F(3, 251) = 24.5, p < .001). First, this study indicated that DM may not significantly differ by BMI category. Second, results showed that individually, vWBV and gender were significant predictors of DM, despite no significant interaction between gender and vWBV or pWBV in predicting DM. Specifically, women showed lower scores of DM in both models when accounting for vWBV and pWBV. This is consistent with prior literature that suggests men endorse increased DM compared to women. This suggests a unique relationship between gender identity and DM, distinct from an individual's weight status. Future research may examine internalization of idealized body norms in place of WBV as a moderator of the relationship between gender and DM.