Evidence documents the importance of individual differences in masculinity ideology for men's biological, social, and psychological wellbeing. Studies investigating the developmental antecedents of masculinity ideology and how it changes during specific developmental phases, however, are scarce. The present study examined the influence of childhood adversity and socioeconomic instability on Black men's masculinity ideology during emerging adulthood. Specifically, we investigated changes in two types of masculinity ideology: (a) respect-based, which is associated with prosocial outcomes such as hard work, education, and fidelity, and (b) reputation-based, which is related to antisocial outcomes such as sexual prowess, toughness, and authority-defying behavior. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with three waves of data from 504 Black American men aged 19 to 22 at baseline living in resource-poor communities in the rural South. Results indicated that childhood adversity was associated with elevated socioeconomic instability during emerging adulthood. Childhood adversity and socioeconomic instability were associated with decreases in respect-based masculinity and increases in reputation-based masculinity. Indirect effects were detected whereby childhood adversity was associated with respect-based and reputation-based masculinity indirectly via socioeconomic instability. Taken together, these results suggest that childhood adversity and socioeconomic instability forecast changes in the types of masculinity ideology rural Black men endorse during the emerging adulthood transition.
Body image concerns and body ideals are linked with eating disorders and psychological health. Body image and ideals among men differ by sexual orientation, which may influence the utility of common measures of such constructs. The present study used differential item functioning (DIF) analyses to examine whether item endorsement differs as a function of sexual orientation in three commonly used measures of body image concerns and ideals. Participants were sexual minority (n=209) and heterosexual (n=494) men in the United States. Scores on the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4), and Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS) were examined. DIF was tested in a three-step regression wherein item scores were predicted by: (1) subscale score, (2) subscale and sexual orientation, and (3) subscale, sexual orientation and their product term. Model fit and variance explain comparisons identified DIF. Δ pseudo R2 value ≥ .035 from step 1 to 3 signified clinical significant DIF. There was no evidence of clinically significant DIF for the DMS, SATAQ-4, or OBSC. Findings suggest that DMS, SATAQ-4, and OBSC perform similarly for sexual minority and heterosexual men.

