Abstract
The study aimed to validate the Body Image Matrix of Thinness and Muscularity-Male Bodies (BIMTM-MB), a two-dimensional figure rating scale consisting of 64 three-dimensional male bodies, arranged in an 8 × 8 grid, with muscularity increasing stepwise on the vertical axis and body fat on the horizontal axis. The online sample included 355 men participating in an online survey. Besides the BIMTM-MB, participants completed questionnaires on body-related attitudes, behaviors, and psychopathology. Another 91 men were recruited to examine test-retest reliability of the BIMTM-MB. The BIMTM-MB showed good convergent and criterion validity. Men meeting their own body ideal showed higher body satisfaction and lower body-related psychopathology. Test-retest reliability was high. The BIMTM-MB proved to be a reliable and valid measure and is recommended for use in research and clinical practice to examine central aspects of male body image.
Highlights
ARKENAU ET AL.Various studies indicate gender differences in body image concerns, with muscularity‐related body dissatisfaction being higher in men, and weight/shape concerns being more pronounced in women (e.g., Hoffmann & Warschburger, 2017; Kelley, Neufeld, & Musher‐Eizenmann, 2010)
The present study aimed to develop and validate a highly differentiated figure rating scale for body image in men, combining muscularity and body fat into a two‐dimensional (2D) format, and further including sufficiently extreme and realistic male bodies
Intercorrelations between the actual, felt, and ideal items within the two BIMTM‐MB dimensions were modest to high
Summary
ARKENAU ET AL.Various studies indicate gender differences in body image concerns, with muscularity‐related body dissatisfaction being higher in (adolescent) men, and weight/shape concerns being more pronounced in (adolescent) women (e.g., Hoffmann & Warschburger, 2017; Kelley, Neufeld, & Musher‐Eizenmann, 2010). Body figures are restricted in range (e.g., Talbot, Smith, Cass, & Griffiths, 2019) and number (e.g., Ralph‐Nearman & Filik, 2018; Talbot, Cass, et al, 2019), potentially leading to biased results and further limiting the scope of administration to individuals with levels of muscularity and body fat within the displayed range of the scales (see Cafri & Thompson, 2004). This latter point might be especially relevant if figure rating scales are to be used in a clinical context, that is, with underweight, obese, or extremely muscular clients
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