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Are there differences in cognitive patterns and self-esteem among people with exercise addiction or muscle dysmorphia?

abstract

Both the addiction to physical exercise, understood as a behavioral addiction, and muscular
dysmorphia, which specifies the dysmorphic bodily disorder, have several aspects in common,
such as the intensive practice of physical exercise and alterations in self-esteem. They also seem
to involve certain behaviors that are related to early cognitive maladaptive patterns. Given the
paucity of studies that relate early maladaptive patterns with addiction to muscle exercise and
muscle dysmorphia, and taking into account self-esteem, the question arises of whether there
are differences between these variables in people with exercise addiction or muscle distortion.
For this purpose, a group of 465 participants (23.7% men, 75.7% women and 0.6% transgender)
were used, all of them practicing sports in or outside the gymnasium. The following evaluation
instruments were used: Cognitive Scheme Questionnaire-Short Form -SQ-SF (Young and
Brown, 1994), Drive for Muscularity Scale - DMS (McCreary, Sasse, Saucier y Dorsch, 2004),
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), Muscle Satisfaction Scale - ESM (Muscular
Appearance Satisfaction Scale - MASA, Mayville, Williamson, White, Netemeyer and Drab,
2002) and Inventory of Exercise Addiction - EAI (Terry, Szabo and Griffiths, 2004). Regarding
the results, it seems that both addiction to physical exercise and muscle breakdown are related
to early maladaptive patterns. On the other hand, self-esteem is related to both the addiction
to physical exercise and to muscular distension in a significant and negative way. It finally seems
that the greater the muscle breakdown, the greater the risk of addiction to physical exercise, and
the greater the risk of addiction, the less muscle satisfaction. These results are discussed and the
limitations of the study are presented.

Keywords:

Early maladaptive patterns; self-esteem; exercise addiction; muscle dysmorphia; behavioral addiction.

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Authors

  • Leticia Olave - Universidad Complutense de Madrid

  • Janire Momeñe - Universidad de Deusto

  • José Gabriel Rodríguez Pérez - Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

  • Ana. I. Estévez - Universidad de Deusto

  • Itziar Iruarrizaga - Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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