Male Body Image Self-Consciousness During Physical Intimacy (M-BISC): Validating the M-BISC With Gay Men

Abstract

Introduction: An expanding area of research within the realm of body image is its role in human sexual functioning, which denotes people's overall satisfaction with their performance during a specific sexual encounter. Traditionally, studies investigating the association between body image and sexual functioning have focused on women. The Male Body-Image Self-consciousness Scale (M-BISC) was developed to exclusively assess male body-image self-consciousness during sexual activity using a sample consisting primarily of heterosexual men. Aim: The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the M-BISC with a sample of gay men. Research suggests that sexual difficulties (SD) and body image concerns can overlap and interrelate. Therefore, two subscales (ED: Erectile Difficulties and BE: Body Embarrassment) from the Gay Male Sexual Difficulties Scale (GMSDS) were used to assess the validity of the scale. Method: Nine-hundred and thirty men self-identifying as "exclusively gay" completed an online survey consisting of demographics, the M-BISC and GMSDS (ED and BE subscales). Main Outcome Measures: The replicability of the M-BISC factor structure with a gay male sample was determined using an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Additionally, the GMSDS (ED and BE subscales) was used to determine the validity of the MBISC. Results: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that, following the removal of three items, the M-BISC was unidimensional. Scale score reliability for the 14-item M-BISC was good. Finally, as predicted, scores on the M-BISC correlated with scores on the GMSDS (i.e., greater sexual difficulties). Conclusion: Results of the current study illustrate that the M-BISC is a valid tool to measure gay men's body concerns during intimacy. More importantly, it also highlights gay men elevated body concerns during intimacy and the need to understand the aetiology of these apprehensions. Currently, there is a noticeable gap in the literature regarding the cause of gay male body concerns that have potential clinic implications.

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“…(2) Body Image Self-Consciousness Scale (BISC). A scale created in 2000 by M. W. Wiederman, used in studies around the world to assess pre-occupation with one's body image when engaging in sexual contact with a partner [7]. The Polish version of the Body Image Self-Consciousness Scale (BISC-PL) is a 15-item tool created in 2019 by Marta Szymanska-Pytlinska, based on the English-language BISC scale.…”