Sarah Shepherd

Bio: Sarah Shepherd is an academic researcher from Staffordshire University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social support. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 77 citations.

Experiences of anabolic steroid use: in-depth interviews with men and women body builders.

Abstract: This study was designed to investigate anabolic steroid users' experiences of, and motivations for, use. Five men and six women users took part in in-depth interviews. Four themes emerged: Steroid Use vs Abuse; Side-effects; Trusted Information Sources; and Social Pressure. Many users believed that steroids used in moderation were safe. Serious side-effects (liver and kidney damage, hypertension) were not significant disincentives. Information from health professionals tended to be mistrusted because it was not based on first-hand experience of use. Social support, especially from within the body building community, was an important motivator. It is concluded that intervention programmes need the support of the body building community in order to be effective.

His Biceps become Him: A Test of Objectification Theory's Application to Drive for Muscularity and Propensity for Steroid Use in College Men.

Abstract: Men's body image problems may manifest as an unhealthy drive for muscularity and propensity to use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Aspects of objectification theory were integrated with literature on men's drive for muscularity and AAS use to identify correlates of these problems. The resultant model was tested with path analyses of data from 270 college men. First, consistent with prior research on objectification theory, results indicated that body surveillance partially mediated the link of internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness with body shame. Second, positive outcome expectation for AAS use partially mediated the link of drive for muscularity with intention to use AAS. Third, drive for muscularity partially mediated the links of internalization with outcome expectation for AAS use and intention to use AAS. Finally, outcome expectation for AAS use was an additional partial mediator of the link of internalization with intention to use AAS. Body surveillance and body shame did not have unique direct or mediated relations with drive for muscularity or AAS variables. These findings point to internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness as the nexus of overlap between the objectification theory variables and men's drive for muscularity and propensity to use AAS.

Individual differences in male body-image: An examination of self-objectification in recreational body builders

Abstract: Objectives Male bodybuilders have been found previously to have higher levels of disordered eating and body-image disturbance than do other men. This study investigated whether objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) could be used to explain these observed differences in male body-image. Design A cross-sectional, self-report design was used. Methods Three samples of men were recruited: bodybuilders (N = 31), weightlifters (N = 17), and non-athletic controls (N = 35). Participants completed a questionnaire containing measures of self-objectification, self-surveillance, body shame, appearance anxiety, and four outcomes: body dissatisfaction, drive for muscularity, bulimia, and depression. Results As predicted, bodybuilders had significantly higher levels of self-objectification than weightlifters and controls, and higher levels of body dissatisfaction and drive for muscularity than controls. Overall, the relationships between self-objectification and the outcome variables, and self-surveillance and the outcome variables, were mediated by appearance anxiety. Conclusions . Bodybuilding is associated with outcomes that suggest it may not result in greater overall health for men. It was concluded that objectification theory provides a useful framework for examining body-image differences in men.

Objectification Processes and Disordered Eating in British Women and Men

Abstract: The present study extended the applicability of Objectification Theory to predict disordered eating in British women and men. Participants completed measures of self-objectification, body surveillance, body shame and disordered eating. Path analyses indicated strong support for the theoretical model in women, with body shame fully mediating the relation between self-objectification and disordered eating. Patterns were similar for men with two exceptions; body shame increased with lower self-objectification and disordered eating was directly increased with higher self-objectification. Findings extend Objectification Theory as a useful framework for identifying sociocultural influences on disordered eating in British women and men.

Promoting Positive Body Image in Males and Females: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions

Abstract: Research presented in this special issue focuses on a number of key contemporary themes relating to gendered body image. This paper considers what these studies tell us about the associations between body image and self-esteem, internalization of thin/muscular ideals, social comparison, and social identity and makes suggestions for interventions to improve body image in girls/women and boys/men. It is concluded that psycho-social interventions to reduce internalization, to make social comparison processes more realistic, to raise self-esteem and to enable people to question social identities related to body dissatisfaction may be useful short-term solutions to improving body image in males and females with negative images of their bodies. Since most evidence for effectiveness of these kinds of interventions has focused on women and girls, more work is needed on how to make these effective for men and boys.