Teammate influences and relationship quality are associated with eating and exercise psychopathology in athletes

Abstract

Teammates have a powerful influence on athletes' eating attitudes / behaviours, but less is known about the relative importance of teammate influence mechanisms. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationships and predictive associations between teammate influences (e.g., modelling of teammates' disordered eating; supportive teammate friendships) and athletes' eating and exercise attitudes and behaviours. A further aim was to identify the presence of any gender differences. Athletes (N = 1172, mean age 24 years, n = 727 female) completed a survey exploring multiple teammate influences, eating and exercise attitudes and behaviours, and psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, self-esteem). Many significant relationships were identified between teammate influences and eating / exercise psychopathology. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that a perceived pressure from teammates to lose weight / change shape and perceptions that teammates engaged in disordered eating practices were the best predictors of higher eating and exercise psychopathology. Supportive teammate friendships was the best predictor of lower eating psychopathology and higher levels of healthy exercise behaviours. Encouragement / discouragement to eat healthily were also significant predictors. Teammate influences explained more variance in exercise than eating psychopathology, and total variance explained by teammates was higher for females compared to males. Teammates may have a positive and negative influence on the eating and exercise attitudes / behaviours of athletes; however, gender differences are apparent. Understanding teammate influences on the eating and exercise practices of athletes is important for the development of team-based interventions to reduce or prevent disordered eating and exercise. Future research should explore these relationships longitudinally, considering the role of moderating factors (e.g., sport type, stage of season).

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, Alexithymia, and Social Phobia Are Associated With Disordered Eating in Male and Female Undergraduate Athletes

“…It could be that the effects are more subtle than we had anticipated, and as such, the sample was underpowered to detect them. Although body dissatisfaction and disordered eating are frequently observed in highly competitive athletes (e.g., collegiate, professional, elite) (Kerr-Gaffney et al, 2018;Palermo and Rancourt, 2019;Scott et al, 2019a), our sample was predominantly (64%) engaged in club and recreational levels of athletics. It may be that differences in eating disorder risk as a function of teammate interdependence are better observed in more competitive environments.…”

“…Although published studies including male athletes are less common, men and boys may be at greater risk of disordered eating than women and girls when the type of sport, social environment of teams, assessment used, and specific disordered eating behaviors are examined ( Baum, 2006 ; Papathomas and Lavallee, 2012 ; Papathomas and Petrie, 2014 ; Pope et al, 2015 ; Chapman and Woodman, 2016 ; Joy et al, 2016 ; Rice et al, 2016 ). Moreover, the social environment and teammate interdependence (i.e., whether the competition is completed alone or as a team) can play a key role in physical and psychological outcomes of male and female athletes ( Evans et al, 2012 ; Martin et al, 2014 ), including in eating disorder risk ( Scott et al, 2019a , b ). Given the influence of peer groups in the risk of eating disorders ( Keel and Forney, 2013 ), team dynamics may be an important aspect of disordered eating risk that should be investigated further.…”

Teammate influences, psychological well‐being, and athletes’ eating and exercise psychopathology: A moderated mediation analysis

“…The frequency of teammate modelling of bulimic‐type eating behaviors was assessed using the BMS, adapted for athletes (Scott et al, ). The original scale (BMS; Stice, ) comprises five items that explore the extent to which teammates engage in self‐induced vomiting to control weight, binge eating, food restriction, preoccupation with weight/shape, extreme weight control behaviors and supplement use.…”

“…However, a link has recently been demonstrated between influences from sport relationships (e.g., coach and teammates) and athletes’ eating psychopathology (e.g., Shanmugam, Jowett, & Meyer, , ). Indeed, a recent systematic review (Scott, Haycraft, & Plateau, ) highlighted that an athlete's teammates can positively influence an athletes’ eating psychopathology (e.g., via supportive teammate friendships, Kipp & Weiss, ; Shanmugam et al, ). However, teammates may also negatively impact upon athletes eating psychopathology.…”

Relationships between Risk Events, Personality Traits, and Risk Perception of Adolescent Athletes in Sports Training

“…Previous studies not only focused on sports injuries but also paid attention to the possible risks of nutrition, psychology, and environment that adolescent athletes may face. For example, the study of Charlotte [ 7 ] showed that teammates may have a positive or negative influence on eating and exercise attitudes/behaviors of athletes. This contributes to the development of team-based interventions to reduce or prevent adolescent athletes’ disordered eating and negative exercise attitudes/behaviors; however, the study lacked more longitudinal exploration, considering the role of moderating factors, such as sport type.…”