How do you feel about your body? Exploring the factors that influence eating pathology for Singaporean gay, bisexual, and queer men

Abstract

Prior research has established that eating disorders are highly prevalent in Singapore, yet a large treatment gap continues to exist. Given that Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (GBQ) men are more likely to develop abnormal eating pathology, this study seeks to explore the factors that would influence the eating pathology and body image concerns of GBQ men in Singapore. Primarily focusing on the minority stress theory, where GBQ men are subject to unique stressors that lead to negative health outcomes, this study examines whether minority stressors (heterosexist discrimination and internalized homophobia) and community connectedness are associated with the drive for muscularity and eating disorder symptomology. A total of 123 GBQ men were recruited for this study. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were conducted to evaluate the effects of minority stressors and community connectedness on the drive for muscularity and eating disorder symptomology. Heterosexist discrimination was found to be consistently and positively associated with increased eating disorder symptomology. Contrary to expectations, internalized homophobia and community connectedness had no significant effect on drive for muscularity and eating disorder symptomology. Exploratory analyses also revealed that ethnicity may be an important factor in understanding the development of eating disorders based on having two minority statuses, which amplifies the effects of the minority stress theory. Overall, the findings in this study provide insights into a public health issue that has yet to be researched significantly in Singapore and could help to inform future prevention and intervention efforts.