Poster #189 - Body Image Pressures on Athletes: A Function of sex and Sport Participation

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Sex, Gender

Integrative Statement

Late adolescent males and females are known to differ on body dissatisfaction directionality, generally with females seeking a smaller frame and males showing mixed desires (Stanford & McCabe, 2002). Males and females also report different sociocultural pressures on their body preferences in line with these body ideals, with females reporting more internalization of body pressures from family and friends than males. Despite consistent exercise, athletes are not immune to body dissatisfaction (Botha, Ford, & Wright, 2014; Almeida, Cyrino, Ferreira, Fortes, & Oliveira, 2015). The desire for the perfect body in athletes can result in psychological problems and disordered eating behaviors (Slater & Tiggemann, 2011).
The current study sought to examine the influence of sex on the body image pressures of college athletes and non-athletes. Participants were 146 college students, 70.5% female, 50% athlete, 94.5% White, mean age = 19.85 (3.22) that participated in an online study assessing body image and athletic influence. Athletic status was not selected for during recruitment or analysis. Measures included the SATAQ-4 and the Body Appreciation Scales (Schaefer et al., 2015; Avalos, Tylka, & Wood-Barcalow, 2005). It was hypothesized that both athletic status and sex would relate to the type of pressure felt by the participants, with females experiencing higher levels of pressure and lower levels of body appreciation regardless of athletic participation.
Participants were placed into four categories consisting of their binary sex and current athlete status. ANOVAs revealed that female athletes showed the lowest body appreciation and highest desire to lose weight, significantly worse than both male categories, but not different from non-athlete females, F(3, 144) = 5.29, p = .002; F(3, 144) = 4.00, p = .009. Athletes of both sexes showed the strongest desire to look athletic F(3, 144) = 24.72, p < .000, while females of both athletic statuses reported that they were more pressured to look good from the media than males F(3, 144) = 6.01, p = .001. Interestingly, it was the non-athletic females who reported the highest pressures from family to change their bodies, higher than all other groups F(3, 144) = 3.68, p = .014. Pressure from peers to change their bodies was reported equally amongst all groups F(3, 144) = 0.29, p = .836.
In summary, while males and females do show differing body appreciation issues, athletic status is also a factor to be considered. Male and female athletes showed worse body image than non-athletes in the importance of looking muscular and athletic. Female athletes demonstrated a higher desire to lose weight and lower body appreciation than males, but female non-athletes were not different from males for body fat. As female athletes were not higher on pressure from family or peers, it can be interpreted that sport participation may relate to drive-for-thinness. The media was also a stronger source of pressure for females than males, possibly relating to the drive-for-thinness. More research should be performed to investigate the nuanced relationship between athletics and body image in adolescence and emerging adulthood (Slater & Tiggemann, 2011).

Authors

• Emma Studer, The University of Findlay
  Presenting Author

• Julia Snell, The University of Findlay
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michayla Stallings, The University of Findlay
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emma Monnin, The University of Findlay
  Non-Presenting Author

• Madison Schloemer, The University of Findlay
  Non-Presenting Author

• Allison Kiefner-Burmeister, The University of Findlay
  Non-Presenting Author