Psihijat.dan./2015/47/1/29-41/ Czeglédi E. Body dissatisfaction, trait anxiety and self-esteem in young men 29 Istraživački rad UDK: 159.923.2.072-055.1 BODY DISSATISFACTION, TRAIT ANXIETY AND SELF-ESTEEM IN YOUNG MEN Edit Czeglédi 1 , Michel Probst 2 , Bernadett Babusa 1 1 Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary 2 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Abstract: Background and purpose: Body image dissatisfaction has recently been described as ‘normative’ for both men and women. Despite intense theoretical interest in a multidimensional concept of male body image, comprehensive models have rarely been assessed empirically. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the relationship between body image and self-esteem among men in a multivariate model. Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional questionnaire study were 239 male university students (mean age: 20.3 years, SD=2.78 years, range: 18–39 years). Measures: self-reported anthropometric data, weightlifting activity, importance of appearance, perceived weight status, satisfaction with body height, Body Shape Questionnaire – Short form, Muscle Appearance Satisfaction Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results: Structural equation modeling showed that after controlling for age, BMI, weightlifting activity, the importance of appearance, and trait anxiety, only muscle dissatisfaction predicted lower self-esteem (β=-0.11, p=0.033). Neither height dissatisfaction nor weight dissatisfaction showed significant association with self- esteem. Muscle dissatisfaction partially mediated the relationship between trait anxiety and self-esteem (β=-0.04, p=0.049, R 2 =0.05). The model explained 50.4% of the variance in self- esteem. Conclusions: The results emphasize that trait anxiety might be a background variable in the relationship between males’ body dissatisfaction and self-esteem, which should be considered in future studies and in the course of therapy. Keywords: male, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, trait anxiety, structural equation modeling