Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Eating Disorders and Related Symptomatology in Sexual Minority Men and Boys

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Eating Disorders in Boys and Men

Abstract

While prevalence rates for eating disorders in sexual minority men and boys (e.g., gay, bisexual) are difficult to estimate, research suggests that they are more likely to exhibit eating disorders and eating pathology as compared to heterosexual men and boys. Current models of eating pathology, originally developed and tested in heterosexual women and girls, have found some support among sexual minority men and boys but have also been modified to represent sexual minority-specific influences. Thus far, some work has been done modifying existing treatment and prevention protocols for this population; however, it remains to be seen how much modification is necessary to achieve positive outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Blashill AJ, Calzo JP, Griffiths S, Murray SB. Anabolic steroid misuse among US adolescent boys: disparities by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. Am J Public Health. 2017;107:319–21.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Matthews-Ewald MR, Zullig KJ, Ward RM. Sexual orientation and disordered eating behaviors among self-identified male and female college students. Eat Behav. 2014;15:441–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Watson RJ, Adjei J, Saewyc E, Homma Y, Goodenow C. Trends and disparities in disordered eating among heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents. Int J Eat Disord. 2017;50:22–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Diemer EW, Grant JD, Munn-Chernoff MA, Patterson DA, Duncan AE. Gender identity, sexual orientation, and eating-related pathology in a national sample of college students. J Adolesc Health. 2015;57:144–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Laska MN, VanKim NA, Erickson DJ, Lust K, Eisenberg ME, Rosser BRS. Disparities in weight and weight behaviors by sexual orientation in college students. Am J Public Health. 2015;105:111–21.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Von Schell A, Ohrt TK, Bruening AB, Perez M. Rates of disordered eating behaviors across sexual minority undergraduate men and women. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2018;5:352–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Feldman MB, Meyer IH. Eating disorders in diverse lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations. Int J Eat Disord. 2007;40:218–26.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Kamody RC, Grilo CM, Udo T. Disparities in DSM-5 defined eating disorders by sexual orientation among U.S. adults. Int J Eat Disord. 2020;53:278–87. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23193.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Polivy J, Herman CP. Causes of eating disorders. Annu Rev Psychol. 2002;53:187–213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Thompson JK, Heinberg LJ, Altabe M, Tantleff-Dunn S. Exacting beauty: theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. [Internet]. Washington: American Psychological Association; 1999 [cited 2018 Dec 5]. Available from: http://content.apa.org/books/10312-000.

  11. Fredrickson BL, Roberts T-A. Objectification theory: toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychol Women Q. 1997;21:173–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Meyer IH. Minority stress and mental health in gay men. J Health Soc Behav. 1995;36:38.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Parent MC. Clinical considerations in etiology, assessment, and treatment of men’s muscularity-focused body image disturbance. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2013;14:88–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Carper TLM, Negy C, Tantleff-Dunn S. Relations among media influence, body image, eating concerns, and sexual orientation in men: a preliminary investigation. Body Image. 2010;7:301–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Tylka TL, Andorka MJ. Support for an expanded tripartite influence model with gay men. Body Image. 2012;9:57–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Engeln-Maddox R, Miller SA, Doyle DM. Tests of objectification theory in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual community samples: mixed evidence for proposed pathways. Sex Roles. 2011;65:518–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kozak M, Frankenhauser H, Roberts T-A. Objects of desire: objectification as a function of male sexual orientation. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2009;10:225–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Siever MD. Sexual orientation and gender as factors in socioculturally acquired vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1994;62:252–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Michaels MS, Parent MC, Moradi B. Does exposure to muscularity-idealizing images have self-objectification consequences for heterosexual and sexual minority men? Psychol Men Masculinity. 2013;14:175–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Martins Y, Tiggemann M, Kirkbride A. Those speedos become them: the role of self-objectification in gay and heterosexual men’s body image. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2007;33:634–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Meyer IH. Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychol Bull. 2003;129:674–97.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Beren SE. Stigmatization and shame as determinants of subclinical eating disorder pathology: a comparison of gay and heterosexual men. [US]: ProQuest Information & Learning; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Torres AN. Internalized homophobia, self-esteem, gender roles, body image, and disordered eating in gay and bisexual men [Internet]. ProQuest Information & Learning. 2008. Available from: http://libproxy.sdsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2008-99100-306&login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

  24. Wang SB, Borders A. Rumination mediates the associations between sexual minority stressors and disordered eating, particularly for men. Eat Weight Disord Stud Anorex Bulim Obes. 2017;22:699–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Katz-Wise SL, Scherer EA, Calzo JP, Sarda V, Jackson B, Haines J, et al. Sexual minority stressors, internalizing symptoms, and unhealthy eating behaviors in sexual minority youth. Ann Behav Med. 2015;49:839–52.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Siconolfi D, Halkitis PN, Allomong TW, Burton CL. Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in a sample of gay and bisexual men. Int J Mens Health. 2009;8:254–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Wiseman MC, Moradi B. Body image and eating disorder symptoms in sexual minority men: a test and extension of objectification theory. J Couns Psychol. 2010;57:154–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Greentree S, Lewis V. Male body image and its relationship to sexual preference and homophobia. Pak J Psychol Res. 2011;26:105–26.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Brewster ME, Sandil R, DeBlaere C, Breslow A, Eklund A. “Do you even lift, bro?” Objectification, minority stress, and body image concerns for sexual minority men. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2017;18:87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ. Eating disorder examination questionnaire. Cogn Behav Ther Eat Disord. New York: Guilford Press; 2008. p. 309–14.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Scharmer C, Donahue JM, Heiss S, Anderson DA. Factor structure of the Eating Disorder Examination – Questionnaire among heterosexual and sexual minority males. Eating Behaviors. 2020;38.

    Google Scholar 

  32. McCreary DR, Sasse DK, Saucier DM, Dorsch KD. Measuring the drive for muscularity: factorial validity of the Drive for Muscularity Scale in men and women. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2004;5:49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. DeBlaere C, Brewster ME. A confirmation of the Drive for Muscularity Scale with sexual minority men. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2017;4:227–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Nerini A, Matera C, Baroni D, Stefanile C. Drive for muscularity and sexual orientation: psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) in straight and gay men. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2016;17:137–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Tylka TL, Bergeron D, Schwartz JP. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Male Body Attitudes Scale (MBAS). Body Image. 2005;2:161–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Blashill AJ, Vander Wal JS. The Male Body Attitudes Scale: a confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of gay men. Body Image. 2009;6:322–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Hart TA, Flora DB, Palyo SA, Fresco DM, Holle C, Heimberg RG. Development and examination of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale. Assessment. 2008;15:48–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Hart TA, Rotondi NK, Souleymanov R, Brennan DJ. Psychometric properties of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale among Canadian gay and bisexual men of color. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2015;2:470–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Schaefer LM, Harriger JA, Heinberg LJ, Soderberg T, Thompson JK. Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R). Int J Eat Disord. 2017;50:104–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Convertino AD, Gonzales M, Malcarne VL, Blashill AJ. A psychometric investigation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised among sexual minority adults in the U.S. Body Image. 2019;31:96–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Becker CB, Smith LM, Ciao AC. Peer-facilitated eating disorder prevention: a randomized effectiveness trial of cognitive dissonance and media advocacy. J Couns Psychol. 2006;53:550–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Stice E, Rohde P, Gau J, Shaw H. An effectiveness trial of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program for high-risk adolescent girls. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2009;77:825–34.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Stice E, Shaw H, Burton E, Wade E. Dissonance and healthy weight eating disorder prevention programs: a randomized efficacy trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006;74:263–75.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  44. Festinger L. A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford: Stanford University Press; 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Brown TA, Forney KJ, Pinner D, Keel PK. A randomized controlled trial of the body project: more than muscles for men with body dissatisfaction. Int J Eat Disord. 2017;50:873–83.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Fairburn CG. Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York: Guilford Press; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Doll HA, O’Connor ME, Bohn K, Hawker DM, et al. Transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with eating disorders: a two-site trial with 60-week follow-up. Am J Psychiatry. 2009;166:311–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Rieger E, Van Buren DJ, Bishop M, Tanofsky-Kraff M, Welch R, Wilfley DE. An eating disorder-specific model of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-ED): causal pathways and treatment implications. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010;30:400–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Couturier J, Kimber M, Szatmari P. Efficacy of family-based treatment for adolescents with eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord. 2013;46:3–11.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Puckett JA, Woodward EN, Mereish EH, Pantalone DW. Parental rejection following sexual orientation disclosure: impact on internalized homophobia, social support, and mental health. LGBT Health. 2015;2:265–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Wiser S, Telch CF. Dialectical behavior therapy for binge-eating disorder. J Clin Psychol. 1999;55:755–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Pachankis JE, Hatzenbuehler ML, Rendina HJ, Safren SA, Parsons JT. LGB-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy for young adult gay and bisexual men: a randomized controlled trial of a transdiagnostic minority stress approach. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2015;83:875–89.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  53. Blashill AJ, Safren SA, Wilhelm S, Jampel J, Taylor SW, O’Cleirigh C, et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for body image and self-care (CBT-BISC) in sexual minority men living with HIV: a randomized controlled trial. Health Psychol. 2017;36:937–46.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Safren SA, Otto MW, Worth JL. Life-steps: applying cognitive behavioral therapy to HIV medication adherence. Cogn Behav Pract. 1999;6:332–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Cash T. The body image workbook: an eight-step program for learning to like your looks. 2nd ed. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Wilhelm S, Phillips KA, Steketee G. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for body dysmorphic disorder: a treatment manual. 1st ed. New York: The Guilford Press; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    Alexandra D. Convertino & Christopher A. Albright

  2. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Aaron J. Blashill

  3. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    Aaron J. Blashill

Authors
  1. Alexandra D. Convertino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christopher A. Albright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Aaron J. Blashill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron J. Blashill .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jason M. Nagata

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Tiffany A. Brown

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USC Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Stuart B. Murray

  4. Department of Medicine, Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR) Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, The Metis Foundation, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Jason M. Lavender

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Convertino, A.D., Albright, C.A., Blashill, A.J. (2021). Eating Disorders and Related Symptomatology in Sexual Minority Men and Boys. In: Nagata, J.M., Brown, T.A., Murray, S.B., Lavender, J.M. (eds) Eating Disorders in Boys and Men. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67127-3_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67127-3_17

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67126-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-67127-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation