Cognitive restraint and body dissatisfaction are more strongly related to muscle building behaviors for men than women.

ABSTRACT: Muscle building behaviors are an understudied eating disorder (ED) symptom increasing in prevalence, especially among men. However, little is known about the cognitive ED correlates that may underlie muscle building behaviors and whether these associations differ by gender. We examined associations between cognitive ED symptoms and muscle building behaviors, and whether these associations differ between men and women. In a sample of college students (N = 258), we investigated cross-sectional associations between two core cognitive ED symptoms, body dissatisfaction and cognitive restraint, with muscle building behaviors, and whether binary gender moderated these associations. Data were analyzed using two linear regression models in which muscle building behaviors was entered as the outcome

SUBMITTER: Patarinski AGG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11927385 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature