A systematic review of body image dissatisfaction in young athletes and non-athletes, and an empirical study of the link between disgust and body image in an analogue sample

Body image dissatisfaction (BID) commonly develops in adolescence. Young athletes may be at a greater risk of developing BID than their non-athlete peers as a result of the unique pressures of sporting contexts. This paper presents a systematic review of the recent literature comparing athlete and non-athlete children and adolescents on a measure of BID, to explore the current status of BID in young male and female athletes. Literature searches were conducted across five electronic databases. Eleven studies were narratively synthesised, and quality assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOQA). Most studies were assessed to be of ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ quality, with two studies deemed to be of ‘good’ methodological quality. Results indicated that engaging in structured and competitive sports may provide some buffer from BID, and that females experience greater BID than their male peers regardless of athletic status. However, no clear pattern relating to the impact of age, sport type or competition on this buffer could be established. Further robust research within this field is warranted. Implications of the findings for BID in children and adolescents are discussed, along with future directions for researc