Psychosocial predictors of drive for muscularity in male collegiate athletes

•The predictors explained 15% of the variance in muscularity-oriented body image.•The predictors explained 34% of the variance in muscularity-building behaviors.•Sport pressures and negative affect predicted muscularity-building behaviors (MBB).•Non-lean sport athletes engaged in MBB more than lean sport athletes.•General pressures did not predict drive for muscularity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the simultaneous relation of general and sport-specific pressures about body weight and shape, negative affect, and body satisfaction to drive for muscularity (DM) in male collegiate athletes. Participants were 183 male athletes who were drawn from three NCAA Division I institutions and represented 17 different sports. As hypothesized, after controlling for BMI and sport type, sport-specific pressures, negative affect, and body satisfaction were significant predictors, and accounted for 15–34% of the variance in muscularity-oriented body image and muscularity behaviors; general pressures however were not significantly related. These findings offer insight into the personal and social antecedents of DM in male athletes, and serve as a starting point for future research on DM in this population.