Eficacia de la terapia de aceptación y compromiso en el tratamiento de la dismorfia muscular en usuarios de gimnasios

Abstract

Muscle dysmorphia has become a topic of interest in the face of the rise of the cult of the body promoted by social networks that have turned exercise, an activity that should be beneficial both physically and mentally, into a constant pressure to achieve the collective imaginary of the body ideal, In view of this and with the aim of testing the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy ACT in the treatment of gym users with muscle dysmorphia to regulate their risk behaviors, this study has been developed based on the qualitative method with descriptive scope focused on the socio-critical paradigm, with a quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test and a non-probabilistic sample of intentional or convenience type, where the participants were a 22-year-old man who has been attending the gym for 5 years and a 24-year-old woman who has been attending the gym for 3 years. The technique used was the semi-structured interview and the instruments applied were the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II AAQ-II, the Muscle Satisfaction Scale MSS and the Adonis Complex Questionnaire ACC. The categories of analysis taken into account in the present work were: body image, muscle dysmorphia, dietary supplements and experiential avoidance. The results obtained were favorable, since the efficacy of ACT in the scores obtained in the AAQ-II was denoted, since in the IL case a decrease from 30 to 26 points was observed and in the EA case from 36 to 32 points, which despite being a short therapeutic process demonstrated improvements in some emotional aspects of psychological inflexibility, likewise, the symptomatology of the muscular dysmorphic disorder reflected an improvement, where in the IL case a decrease in score is observed, within the ESM we went from 54 to 50 points and in the CCA from 12 to 8 points and in the EA case in the ESM we went from 62 to 57 points and in the CCA from 20 to 16 points. Patients began a trend towards greater acceptance of their body in its current state, along with a greater concern not only for how they look, but for the health of themselves, a reduction was seen in the consumption of food supplements for the implementation of more healthy foods in their diet, in turn in the course of therapy could be noted that patients decreased psychological inflexibility, becoming able to identify more deeply their concerns and anxieties, which helped them to focus on what areas of their emotions to work. Finally, it is concluded that the ACT reflects efficacy in the acceptance of feelings and emotional self-control of gym participants with muscular dysmorphia, which implies a voluntary reduction of risk practices, such as in the present case a strict diet that limits their social life and the use of steroids for muscle gain. It is proposed to carry out new research on the subject of muscular dysmorphia vigorexia in the Spanish-speaking population, given that its current repertoire is scarce at present, while the fitness culture is having a great acceptance.