Relationship between Muscularity Concerns and Body Checking Behaviors in Turkish Bodybuilders

Abstract

ObjectiveMuscle dysmorphia is a common body dysmorphic disorder among male bodybuilders. The major problem is difficulty in diagnosing muscle dysmorphia and often underreported. Muscularity concern is one of the underlying problems in the process of body image disturbance. Researchers have defined muscularity concern as repetitive body checking behaviors more than once in the same day. We aim to investigate the association between muscularity concerns and body checking behaviors among Turkish bodybuilders.MethodsParticipants were 120 male bodybuilders, (mean age 31.05±10.60) recruited from bodybuilding gyms in this study. Their height and weight were measured and Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI) score were calculated. Body checking behaviors (numbers of checking their muscles in a mirror and mirror‐like surfaces) were self‐reported by the bodybuilders. Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory (MDDI) was used to determine muscularity concerns. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0. Correlation analyses were used to determine the relationship between the measures of MDDI and the numbers of body checking behaviors.ResultsIn this study it is determined that participants check their muscles in the mirror mean average 9.2 (2–13) times a day, and it was higher in the high‐level MDDI scores compared with the low‐level MDDI scores (relatively 77.6% and 22.4% of the study population) The FFMI scores showed positive correlation with the MDDI scores and body checking behaviors (respectively; r=0,614 and r= 0,390, p=0,001).ConclusionsIt was found that bodybuilders with muscle dysmorphia concerned about their muscularity (higher MDDI score) and more frequent repeated body checking behaviors. Therefore, body checking behaviors and FFMI scores appeared to be a good diagnostic tool for health professionals to use when detecting muscle dysmorphia in bodybuilders.Support or Funding InformationThere is no funding support