Volume 21, Issue 2
Special Issue: Up-date in eating disorders. Body of Evidence: Body image and eating disorders in a sample of gay men from ten latin american countries
Abstract
Eating disorders are psychological disorders which directly affect the physical health of those who suffer, with a high mortality rate. Women are more likely to suffer from eating disorders than men, which is why most of the investigations have focused on women. However, 10% of patients with eating disorders are male. Body dissatisfaction of men has increased dramatically over the past three decades, drastically reducing the gap with the prevalence rates reported for women. This research involved 1.175 gay men in ten Latin American countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic). These were evaluated by adapted scale of Social construction of masculinity (Levant and Fischer), the scale of attitudes and eating behaviors (Garner and Garfinkel), and adapted scale of body image (Raich and cols.). The results show that 13% of the participants has dissatisfaction with body image, 12% presents indicators of eating disorders. The majority of participants expressed a moderate grip to the traditional model of masculinity established a statistically significant relationship between hegemonic masculinity, dissatisfaction with body image and the presence of difficulties in the food area. We discuss the implications of these findings and the need for alternate conceptualizations to explain the presence of these attitudes and behaviors in a sample of Latin American gay men.
Keywords
disorders, gay, homosexuality, masculinity, male body image