Understanding Psychosocial Factors Associated with Disordered Eating in Men Across Different Sexual Orientations

Examines how discrimination, identity, shame, perfectionism, connectedness, help-seeking, and dating app use relate to wellbeing and disordered eating in Australian men, informing inclusive support programs for sexual minority communities.

Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours are increasingly recognised as important health concerns among men, yet the psychological and social factors that contribute to these difficulties are not fully understood. Men of different sexual orientations may experience different social pressures, including discrimination, expectations about appearance, and the influence of social and dating applications such as Grindr, Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble. These experiences may affect mental wellbeing and increase vulnerability to unhealthy eating behaviours. This study aims to examine how experiences such as discrimination, sexual identity, appearance-related pressures, shame, perfectionism (the tendency to set very high standards and to be overly self-critical), community connectedness, help-seeking intentions, and the use of dating applications are associated with psychological wellbeing and disordered eating behaviours among men across different sexual orientations. Participants will be adults aged 18 years and over who identify as men and currently live in Australia, including heterosexual, gay, bisexual, and other sexually diverse men. Participation will involve completing an anonymous online questionnaire that will take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. The survey will include questions about demographic background, experiences of discrimination, community experiences, dating application use, mental wellbeing, and eating-related attitudes and behaviours. Standardised questionnaires commonly used in psychological research will be used to measure these experiences. Participation is entirely voluntary. Participants may skip any question they do not wish to answer and may stop the survey at any time before submitting their responses. No identifying information will be collected, and all responses will remain confidential. Findings from this study will improve understanding of the factors linked to disordered eating among men and help determine whether these factors differ across sexual orientation groups. The results may inform more inclusive prevention, support, and mental health initiatives for men from diverse backgrounds.