Associations among acculturative stress, body ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction and eating pathology among Asian, Black, and Latino men.

BACKGROUND

Empirical findings support the association between acculturative stress and eating pathology, however, relatively few studies have examined mechanisms of this link among racially and ethnically diverse men. The current study addressed these gaps by examining the potential roles of thin-, and muscular-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction as mediators of the relation between acculturative stress and eating pathology among Asian, Black, and Latino men.

METHODS

Adult men from across the United States (Asian N = 110; Black N = 117; Latino N = 85) completed measures of acculturative stress, body ideals, body dissatisfaction, and eating pathology. Analyses investigated the mediating roles of body image ideal internalization (thin-, muscular-) and body dissatisfaction as mediators of the relation between acculturative stress and eating pathology across each racial and ethnic group.

RESULTS

Results identified a significant association between acculturative stress and eating pathology among Asian, Black, and Latino men. In addition, across all groups, thin-ideal internalization mediated the relation between acculturative stress and eating pathology. However, body dissatisfaction and muscular-ideal internalization did not mediate the relation between acculturative stress and eating pathology among any of the groups.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the importance of acculturative stress, thin-ideal internalization, and their associations with eating pathology among racially and ethnically diverse men. Future research should examine within-group differences across racial and ethnic subgroups to further enhance understanding of culturally specific risk factors.