Drive for muscularity and disordered eating behavior in males: the mediating role of cognitive appraisal

There is mixed evidence for the relationship between increased levels of the drive for muscularity (DFM) and disordered eating behavior in males, therefore this study analysed the relationship between DFM and disordered eating behavior, giving particular relevance to the patterns of cognitive appraisal. A convenience sample was recruited from fitness centres and sport clubs with 308 participants, all males. Losing muscular mass represented a negative experience for participants, promoting a higher perception of threat appraisal. In addition, losing muscular mass was related to more muscularity-oriented behaviors and disordered eating behavior. Cognitive appraisal mediates the relation between DFM and disordered eating behavior. The results highlight the role of cognitive appraisal in DFM and disordered eating behavior in males in sport contexts.
This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho,
and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the Portuguese Ministry of
Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through
COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653).