Masculine Norms and Their Associations With Social Anxiety and Body Appreciation Among College Men in the United States.

Brief Form of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI-B) for Adolescents

The mechanism of body appreciation influencing social anxiety in college students: A moderated mediation model.

This study was intended to investigate the impact of body appreciation and social appearance anxiety on life satisfaction among young adults. The aim of this study was to determine whether body appreciation impacts the young adults life satisfaction and they feel social appearance anxiety or not. Total 600 participants including 300 males and 300 females, having age range of 18-41 years from Islamabad and Rawalpindi were selected. Purposive sampling technique was used for research purpose. The Body Appreciation Scale (TL. Tylka., 2015), Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (Levinson 2013), and life satisfaction scale (Diener et al., 1985) administered on the participants of the study. For the purpose of testing hypothesis, Pearson Correlation, T-Test analysis and linear regression analysis were used. The finding of the current study suggests that young adults faced body appreciation problems. Our findings revealed that social appearance anxiety negatively predicted life satisfaction. It also indicated that there was significant positive correlation between body appreciation and life satisfaction. The results also demonstrated that females scored higher on social appearance anxiety as compared to males. This study will be helpful for young adults to understand the impact of body appreciation and social appearance anxiety on life satisfaction. This study will also highlight that how body appreciation will impact our life and increase anxiety level.

With the increasing prevalence of sedentary work life, misalignments in postural alignment and psychosocial health problems have become common among office workers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a reformer Pilates exercise program on postural alignment, body appreciation, and social appearance anxiety in sedentary office employees. A one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was used. The sample consisted of 22 desk-based office workers (14 females, 8 males) selected through convenience sampling. Postural alignment, body appreciation, and social appearance anxiety were assessed using the New York Posture Rating Scale, the Body Appreciation Scale, and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, respectively. Participants completed 60-minute reformer Pilates sessions twice a week for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-intervention measurements were compared using paired samples t-tests. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were also calculated to assess the magnitude of changes. The 8-week reformer Pilates program led to significant improvements in postural alignment (p < 0.001, large effect), increased body appreciation (p < 0.01, moderate effect), and reduced social appearance anxiety (p < 0.001, large effect) among participants. Reformer Pilates appears to improve postural alignment, body appreciation, and social appearance anxiety in sedentary office workers. Incorporating such programs into workplace wellness initiatives may help enhance physical and psychosocial well-being.

ObjectiveThe current study examines the mediating effect of social support and body appreciation between child abuse and disordered eating symptoms among Lebanese adolescents.MethodsThis study, involving 403 participants, was cross-sectional and conducted between August and September 2022. Lebanese adolescents from all of Lebanon’s governorates were recruited through the “Snowball Sampling” method. The measuring instruments composing the questionnaire included the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-7) which identifies the presence of risk for eating disorders based on eating-related attitudes, behaviors and feelings; the “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)” which measures, from three separate sources, the extent of one’s perception of social support; the “Body Appreciation Scale (BAS)” which assesses the care and respect one has for their own body, along with the acceptance and protection of one’s body from unrealistic beauty ideals; and the “Child Abuse Self-Report Scale (CASRS-12)” which detects lifelong child abuse.ResultsParticipants’ mean age was 16.63 ± 1.46 years with 57.3% of females. The results highlight the effect of mediation of social support and body appreciation in the association between all types of child abuse and disordered eating symptoms. Additionally, a significant association was indicated between more abuse and lower social support and body appreciation, whereas another was underscored between higher social support and body appreciation and more appropriate eating attitudes. Lastly, all types of child abuse were observed to be notably associated with further inappropriate eating attitudes.ConclusionThe current mediation findings preliminarily indicate that experiences of all forms of child abuse may have possibly triggered perceived lack of social support and low levels of body appreciation, which have in turn resulted in more severe disordered eating symptoms in predisposed adolescents. This cautiously suggests that both social support and body appreciation may be regarded as key targets for community-based prevention and intervention strategies aiming at reducing the risk of developing severe eating disorders in adolescents.

Prior research suggests that naturism leads to less social physique anxiety and more positive body image, but that other forms of public nudity (e.g., casual stripping, sexting) may be harmful, particularly for women. Two cross-sectional studies built on those previous findings. Study 1 (N1 = 6670) found a positive relationship between generalised nude activity and body appreciation which was not moderated by gender. Study 2 (N2 = 331) found that both naturism and casual stripping predicted more body appreciation, a relationship mediated by less social physique anxiety. Again, these relationships were not moderated by gender. In contrast, sexting did not predict body appreciation and predicted more social physique anxiety, but only in men. These findings highlight that some types of nudity may be more beneficial or harmful than others, and that future research and policy should specify the type of nudity under consideration in order to maximise positive effects.

PurposeThis investigation aimed to explore relationships among health behaviors, psychological factors, and body image in rural adolescents.DesignA cross-sectional survey was conducted. Setting: The study took place in a rural school in the Midwest region of the United States.SubjectsParticipants (n = 45) were rural adolescents (6th-9th grade).MeasuresPhysical activity was assessed using the CAPL-2 and IPAQ, social media usage and addiction were evaluated through daily screen time and the BSMAS, body image was measured using the BSQ and BAS-2, anxiety levels were assessed with the GAD-7, and interoceptive abilities were measured by the MAIA-Y. These measures are validated for use in adolescent populations.AnalysisLinear regression models examined relationships between physical activity, social media usage, anxiety, body image, and interoceptive abilities. Effect sizes for significant predictors were determined using Cohen's d.ResultsNovel relationships were identified among rural adolescents, including a positive association between body appreciation and physical literacy (d = 0.322, P = 0.002), a negative association between body appreciation and social media addiction (d = 0.866, P < 0.001), and a positive association between social media addiction and anxiety levels (d = 0.341, P < 0.001).ConclusionSocial media impacts the well-being of rural adolescents. Promoting physical literacy and social media literacy may mitigate negative effects and should be prioritized in future interventions.

There is a perception that traditional masculine ideals, usually thought deleterious for men's health outcomes, are no longer as relevant for younger social generations such as Millennials as they are for older social generations such as Baby Boomers. Yet, in Australia, there remains a disparity between younger men's and women's health outcomes and use of health services. Conformity to traditional masculinity is often cited as a barrier to men's positive health behaviours but conceptualisation of the construct is contested. We analysed a selected secondary dataset (n = 14,917) of Australian males aged between 15 and 55 years from Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health. We examined the role of conformity to traditional masculine norms in predicting likelihood of regular primary and preventative health services use for different social generations. Analyses included mediated regression and adjusted logistic regression. Conformity to ten of the eleven specific traditional masculine norms predicted likelihood of increased or decreased regular health service use depending on the generation and health service type. Specific traditional masculine norms play a complex role in men's use of distinct health service types for different generations of Australian males. Practitioners wishing to increase men's engagement with health services should consider gender-sensitive approaches that leverage specific masculine norms relevant to the age cohort to drive positive outcomes in men's health.

Objective To analyze the internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) intervent medical university students' social anxiety, and provide experiences and theoretical basis for future social anxiety interventions. Methods 45 medical students of social anxiety were voluntarily divided into the one-to-one intervention group, one-to-five intervention group and control group. The control group did not intervene, one-to-one intervention group and one-to-five intervention group were interfered single person or team by cognitive behavioral therapy, respectively. The level and symptom of social anxiety of the 3 groups were assessed before and after the intervention by social phobia inventory(SPIN) and Social anxiety symptoms interview inventory. Results After the intervention, the scores of SPIN and the 3 subscales within it (fear, avoidance and physiological) of one-to-one ICBT group and one-to-five ICBT group were lower than those of the control group (SPIN scores: one-to-one ICBT group 15.60±7.87, one-to-five ICBT group 14.87±8.83, control group 20.20±11.46). Variance analysis showed that, in addition to physiological subscale(F=0.641, P>0.05), the scores of SPIN, fear and avoidance subscales had significant differences among the 3 groups (F=3.764, P=0.018; F=3.606, P=0.021; F=5.444, P=0.005). In the analysis of participants' social anxiety symptoms, after treatment, in one-to-one ICBT group, there was 1 participant changed into subthreshold social anxiety and 1 participant into normal in the 2 threshold social anxiety participants. All the 3 subthreshold social anxiety participants changed into normal. In one-to-five ICBT group, there was 1 threshold social anxiety participant lapsed to subthreshold social anxiety, 1 subthreshold social anxiety participants still remained in subthreshold social anxiety, 2 symptomatic social anxiety participants changed into normal. But there were no significant changes in control group. Conclusions All the two methods of intervention have a certain effect.The effect of one-to-one intervention therapy is most significant. Key words: Medical students; Social anxiety; Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) in Brazilian adolescents. The sample was comprised of 438 boys (Mage = 15.50, SDage = 1.20) and 402 girls (M = 15.51, SDage = 1.18). Confirmatory factor analyses supported a one-dimensional and partially invariant across-gender and weight status factor structure. The instrument showed adequate internal consistency and temporal stability over a two-week period. Body appreciation was negatively correlated with social physique anxiety and body mass index in both boys and girls. After controlling for social physique anxiety, body appreciation was positively and significantly correlated with life satisfaction in both genders. Significantly higher levels of body appreciation scores were found in men compared to women (d = .48) as well as in underweight and normoweight adolescents compared to the overweight and obese adolescents (d = .50). These findings suggest that the BAS-2 is a valid and reliable instrument to assess body appreciation in Brazilian adolescents. The BAS-2 could be useful for attaining a deeper insight into positive body image research as well as for improving clinical practice in the Brazilian context.

Psychological inflexibility mediates the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and depression: Preliminary support for a transdiagnostic approach to working therapeutically with men

Background: Numerous studies have confirmed men, their gender norms associated with masculinity, and health are interrelated concepts that influence men's health-seeking behaviours and outcomes. Using the tenets of the Andersen Health care Utilization Model, this study examines predisposing, enabling, and constraining factors along with masculinity as predictors of preventive health care utilization in Black/African American (BAA) men. Public health nurses (PHNs), in knowing the importance of preventive measures, can play a pivotal role in improving BAA men's health outcomes. Methods: This nonexperimental correlational cross-sectional design included 176 BAA men aged 26–74 years from the Upper Midwest metropolitan area answering questions on their demographics, current preventive health care utilization using the Older Men's Health Program and Screening Inventory, and conformity to masculine norms using the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46. Results: Winning, self-reliance, and heterosexual self-presentation were the three norms that significantly contributed to participants’ preventive health care utilization. Higher conformity to heterosexual self-presentation was associated with less preventive measures utilized within the past year, while higher conformity to winning was associated with higher odds of seeing the doctor within the past year. Higher conformity to self-reliance were associated with higher likelihood of visiting an ER within the past year. Conclusions: With improved investigation and closer attention to perceptions and masculine norm conformity, the health care system would have a better grasp on how to approach and improve health disparities among BAA men. From here, PHNs can better determine what it means to be masculine within the BAA community and how BAA men perceive preventive health care to improve health initiatives geared toward BAA men and decrease identified health disparities.

Previous research consistently identified depression and anxiety as leading contributors to the global disease burden. Recognizing risk and protective factors that lead to or guard against negative mental health outcomes therefore remains a research priority. The present study examined mediation models for the often-cited association between childhood verbal victimization and adult depression and anxiety symptomatology. Specifically, we investigated whether memories of childhood teasing related to adult adverse mental health outcomes indirectly via the mediated effects of self-esteem and social anxiety. Three hundred sixty-four (64.8% female) adult participants took part in a retrospective study by completing the Teasing Questionnaire—Revised; epidemiological scales of depression, anxiety, stress, social phobia, and social interaction anxiety; and a self-esteem measure. Memories of childhood teasing were indeed positively related to depression, anxiety, stress, social interaction anxiety, and social phobia scores and negatively related to current self-esteem, i.e., the individual’s subjective evaluation of their worth. Self-esteem and recalling being teased for one’s social skills were consistent predictors across all adult outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress, social anxiety, and social phobia). Lastly, self-esteem was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between the memories of childhood teasing and depression and anxiety in adulthood, while social interaction anxiety partially mediated the relationship between teasing and anxiety, but not depression. These findings highlight the long-term psychological impact of childhood teasing and underscore the critical role of self-esteem and social anxiety as pathways through which early verbal victimization contributes to adult mental health outcomes, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to foster resilience and mitigate lasting effects.

The SPAIC-11 and SPAICP-11: Two brief child- and parent-rated measures of social anxiety

The SPAI-18, a brief version of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory: Reliability and validity in clinically referred and non-referred samples