Muscle dysmorphia: detection of the use-abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids in a Spanish sample

People who suffer from muscle dysmorphia due to a distorted body image perceive themselves as less muscular than they actually are. With the aim of increasing their muscular development, they resort to the use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS). The purpose of this study is to know the prevalence of the use of AAS in a Spanish sample affected by muscle dysmorphia. The study sample was comprised of 562 male and 172 female bodybuilders and weightlifters who were applied anthropometric measurements, Fat-Free Mass Index equation, Escala de Satisfaccion Muscular, and Somatomorphic Matrix software. The results show the creation of decision trees and a regression model was used to create explanatory models for muscle dysmorphia (R = .78 and R2 = .62). The main conclusion is that almost 50% of both male and female participants affected by this disorder use this kind of AAS.