Masculine Norms and Their Associations With Social Anxiety and Body Appreciation Among College Men in the United States.

Abstract

Previous research has identified the link between conformity to masculine norms and negative mental health outcomes. The present study thus examined how conformity to eight distinct masculine norms is associated with social anxiety and body appreciation among a sample of 271 college men living in the United States. College men living in the United States filled out an online questionnaire that assessed the variables of interest. Our main study variables-Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, Social Phobia Inventory, and Body Appreciation Scale-2-were analyzed cross-sectionally using linear hierarchical regression models via SPSS. Regression analyses showed that self-reliance was positively associated with social anxiety, whereas violence and risk-taking were negatively associated with social anxiety. Furthermore, heterosexual self-presentation and risk-taking were positively associated with body appreciation, whereas self-reliance was negatively associated with body appreciation. Winning, playboy, emotional control, and power over women were neither significantly associated with social anxiety nor body appreciation. The results of our study highlight the importance of examining how different masculine norms are differentially associated with college men's health outcomes, highlighting how conformity to masculine norms is multidimensional and not unilaterally positive or negative. Implications pertaining to addressing college men's conformity to masculine norms in relation to their social anxiety and body appreciation are discussed.