(PS6-B29) How Do I Value Myself? An Examination of Shape and Weight-based Self-esteem and Eating Disorder Symptoms Across Men and Women

The Transdiagnostic Model of Eating Disorders posits that a dysfunctional system of self-evaluation is central to the maintenance of eating disorders. The model suggests that for individuals engaging in eating disordered behaviours, self-worth is largely drawn from their relationships with food, weight and shape. The gold standard treatment of eating disorders, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – E (CBT-E), was developed based on the Transdiagnostic model, and much research has supported its efficacy across individuals with eating disorders. However, much research examining overevaluation of weight and shape, a core tenant of CBT-E, relies on questionnaire measures which develop measurement items for weight and shape concerns based primarily on thin ideals. Given that relative to girls and women, boys and men may be less likely to internalize thin ideals and more likely to present with muscularity concerns, it may be that current measures examining weight and shape concerns may “miss” or underrepresent the influence of weight and shape concerns in risk for eating pathology in men through omission of muscularity-oriented questions (Gorrell & Murray, 2019). Thus, this study will aim to 1) validate a measure of shape and weight-based self-esteem including assessment of muscularity concerns [the Shape and Weight Based Self-Esteem (SAWBS; Geller et al., 1997)] in a group of undergraduate men and women, and 2) examine the relationship between shape, weight and muscularity-based self-esteem and eating disorder symptoms in men and women. An a priori power analysis was conducted using the “pwr” package in R to estimate sample size. In keeping with Cohen’s (1988) criteria, for detection of a medium effect size, and a significance criterion of a = 0.05 and power = 0.80, the minimum sample size needed with this effect size is N = 100. Thus, 100 undergraduate men and 100 undergraduate women will be recruited using a university participant pool and will participate for course credit. All participants will be over the age of 18 and will complete informed consent prior to completion of the SAWBS, Eating Disorder Examine-Questionnaire and Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory. Analyses regarding the components that shape self-worth in men and women will be exploratory. Further, given that the SAWBS does not prescribe a specific definition of shape or weight, includes assessment of muscularity concerns, and allows participants to indicate the importance of these constructs they define them in contrast to other important facets of their life, we hypothesize that the SAWBS will demonstrate adequate validity and reliability in men. Lastly, we hypothesize that overvaluation of shape and muscularity concerns will relate to greater excessive exercise and muscle building in men, whereas overevaluation of shape and weight will relate to greater restriction and purging in women. Data collection and analyses are currently in progress. Findings can extend the current Transdiagnostic Model of Eating Disorders across men and women and can provide information regarding the utility of CBT-E strategies for targeting overevaluation of weight and shape in undergraduate men and women.