Go big or go home: A thematic content analysis of pro-muscularity websites

Stuart B Murray; Scott Griffiths; Leila Hazery; Tori Shen; Tom Wooldridge; Jonathan M Mond

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.10.002

Go big or go home: A thematic content analysis of pro-muscularity websites

Body Image. 2016 Mar:16:17-20. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.10.002. Epub 2015 Oct 31.

Authors

Stuart B Murray¹, Scott Griffiths², Leila Hazery³, Tori Shen³, Tom Wooldridge⁴, Jonathan M Mond⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA. Electronic address: drstuartmurray@gmail.com.
² School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

PMID: 26523689
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.10.002

Abstract

Existing content analyses of pro-eating disorder web content have focused on thinness-oriented eating disorder pathology. With the increasing prevalence of muscularity-oriented body image concerns, we conducted a systematic content analysis of 421 active pro-muscularity websites including static content websites, blogs, and online forums. Emergent coding methods were utilized (Cohen's kappa range=.78-.88), and eight distinct thematic categories were identified: rigid dietary practices (26.2%), rigid exercise rules (18.4%), the broader benefits of muscularity (16.1%), the encouragement of the drive for size (15.9%), the labeling of non-ideal body (11.4%), marginalizing other areas of life (6.1%), muscle enhancing substances (3.3%), and minimizing medical risk (2.6%). Pro-muscularity websites provide explicit material surrounding potentially non-healthful muscularity-oriented eating and exercise practices. Clinician awareness of the potentially non-healthful behaviors involved in the pursuit of muscularity may enhance the detection and treatment of male eating disorders, in particular.

Keywords: Male eating disorders; Muscle dysmorphia; Muscularity; Muscularity-oriented eating.

MeSH terms

Blogging
Body Constitution
Body Image / psychology*
Drive
Exercise / psychology
Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology*
Humans
Internet*
Male
Muscle Strength
Muscle, Skeletal*
Risk-Taking
Thinness / psychology