Body Image Concerns of Gay Men: The Roles of Minority Stress and Conformity to Masculine Norms.

Kimmel, Sara B.; Mahalik, James R.

doi:10.1037/0022-006x.73.6.1185

Cited by 218 publications

(196 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The positive relationship between loneliness and minority stress is in line with outcomes of other studies on social and health-related issues (e.g., mental health, relationship quality, sexual problems, domestic violence, HIV risk behavior, substance use, job stress, body image concerns), showing that minority stress is a useful framework for explaining different kinds of problems among LGBs (Balsam & Szymanski, 2005;Hatzenbuehler, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Erickson, 2008;Kimmel & Mahalik, 2005;Meyer, 1995Meyer, , 2003Otis, Rostosky, Riggle, & Hamrin, 2006;Waldo, 1999;Zamboni & Crawford, 2007). Furthermore, those specific minority stress factors that were strong predictors of loneliness (negative experiences and LGB social network) were also important determinants in case of other health-related problems.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Loneliness Among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: The Role of Minority Stress

2009

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Past research has consistently found that aging lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) are more apt to suffer from loneliness than their heterosexual counterparts. Data from the 2002 Gay Autumn survey (N = 122) were used to find out whether minority stress relates to higher levels of loneliness among older LGB adults in the Netherlands. We examined five minority stress factors: external objective stressful events, expectations of those events, internalized homonegativity, hiding and concealment of one's LGB identity, and ameliorating processes. The results showed that greater insight into loneliness among older LGB adults was obtained when minority stress factors were considered. Older LGB adults who had experienced negative reactions, as well as aging LGBs who expected those reactions, had the highest levels of loneliness. Having an LGB social network buffered against the impact of minority stress. These minority stress processes added to the variance already explained by general factors that influenced levels of loneliness (partner relationships, general social network, physical health, and self-esteem). Interventions aimed at decreasing feelings of loneliness among older LGBs should be focused on decreasing societal homonegativity (to decrease the amount of negative and prejudiced reactions) and on the enhancement of social activities for LGB elderly.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Loneliness Among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: The Role of Minority Stress

2009

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“…In particular, data are lacking on body image issues in African American men. Homosexual orientation among men has been associated with high rates of body dissatisfaction particularly involving muscularity issues (Kimmel & Mahalik, 2005;Rothblum, 2002). Levasque and Vichesky (2006) recently found that gay men endorsed similar levels of body dissatisfaction when compared to a normative sample of women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association between body image and smoking cessation among individuals living with HIV/AIDS

et al. 2007

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Lower smoking cessation rates are associated with body image concerns in the general population. This relationship is particularly important to study in individuals living with HIV/AIDS due to alarmingly high smoking rates and considerable bodily changes experienced with HIV disease progression and treatment. The association between body image and smoking cessation rates was examined among individuals living with HIV/AIDS participating in a smoking cessation intervention. Body image concerns were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and social support, all variables known to affect cessation rates. However, reduced quit rates were found among individuals reporting elevated and low levels of body image concerns at the end of treatment. These findings suggest a unique relationship between smoking and body image among individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Further research is needed to examine these effects and whether moderate levels of body image concerns in this population reflect realistic body perceptions associated with positive mental health.

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“…However, previous studies have failed to independently consider the experiences of bisexual men. Extant research has either removed bisexual respondents from the sample or grouped the responses of bisexual men with those of gay men (Beren et al 1996;Duggan and McCreary 2004;Feldman and Meyer 2007;Gil 2007;Hospers and Jansen 2005;Kimmel and Mahalik 2005;Russell and Keel 2002;Siever 1994;Williamson and Hartley 1998;Yelland and Tiggemann 2003). This is a notable omission since body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms among bisexual men may differ markedly from gay men.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

A Preliminary Investigation of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptomatology with Bisexual Individuals

Davids

Green

2011

Sex Roles

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Body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology were examined in bisexual individuals (n=139 women, n=37 men) and compared to lesbian/gay (n=51 women, n=96 men) and heterosexual individuals (n=82 women, n=34 men) in a U.S. online sample. Age, body mass index (BMI), income, and exercise frequency served as covariates. MANCOVA results showed a significant gender by sexual orientation interaction and significant main effects of gender and sexuality. Univariate tests were used to explore multivariate results. ANCOVA results for body dissatisfaction showed a significant gender by sexual orientation interaction. Post-hoc comparisons revealed higher levels of body dissatisfaction among all groups compared to heterosexual men. ANCOVA results for eating disorder symptomatology showed a significant main effect of sexual orientation. Post-hoc comparisons revealed higher levels of eating disorder symptoms among bisexual compared to heterosexual individuals. For bisexual men, gay community involvement, maladaptive social comparison, drive for muscularity, self-esteem, gender role orientation, and body dissatisfaction were explored as predictors of eating disorder symptomatology while controlling for age, BMI, exercise frequency, and income in a hierarchical regression analysis. The same factors, minus body dissatisfaction, were explored as predictors of body dissatisfaction in bisexual men. For bisexual women, similar factors, with the exception of drive for muscularity, were explored. Drive for muscularity predicted body dissatisfaction and exercise frequency predicted eating disorder symptomatology in bisexual men. BMI and self-esteem predicted body dissatisfaction in bisexual women; gay community involvement and body dissatisfaction predicted eating disorder symptomatology.

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Body Image Concerns of Gay Men: The Roles of Minority Stress and Conformity to Masculine Norms.

Cited by 218 publications

References 30 publications

Loneliness Among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: The Role of Minority Stress

Loneliness Among Older Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults: The Role of Minority Stress

The association between body image and smoking cessation among individuals living with HIV/AIDS

A Preliminary Investigation of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptomatology with Bisexual Individuals

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