Author(s): PAN, Z., ZHANG, S., Institution: HUNAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 1540

Introduction
Verbal bullying in the strength-training community often involves insults or threats intended to shame or intimidate individuals regarding their training practices. Such maladaptive behaviours can negatively affect individuals’ mental health and hinder their fitness progress. Despite the scarcity of knowledge regarding why individuals commit to verbal bullying, a key psychological factor that may account for verbal bullying is moral disengagement, which allows individuals to rationalize unethical actions without feeling guilty. This research aimed to examine if individuals with a higher propensity for moral disengagement are more likely to engage in verbal bullying in strength training.

Method
We recruited 166 participants (Mage = 23.84, SD = 4.92 years; 84% male) who visit hardcore gyms for strength training on an average of 3-4 times a week. With informed consent, we invited each participant to an individual testing session, during which they completed a questionnaire assessing their propensity for moral disengagement. A video-stimulus response paradigm was adopted in the testing, which required the participants to watch a fitness trainer performing strength training under 3 (squats/deadlifts/bench presses) × 2 (with/without support gear) × 2 (long/short range of motion) conditions. After watching each video, participants reported the extent to which they consider the performed training act in their perceived standard, from “0” (not good at all) to “10” (very good). They then reported the likelihood they would comment following one set of bullying comments (e.g., “This is absolutely terrible”) and following the other set of neutral-positive comments (e.g., “Good to see the effort”), from “0” (not possible at all) to “10” (very much possible). These experimental conditions were blinded.

Results
After controlling for training level (i.e., strength/body weight ratio) and perceived standard of the demonstrated movement in the testing video, moral disengagement predicted tendency for bullying comments, regardless of squats (β = .53, p = .00; 95% CI [.40, .66]), deadlifts (β = .52, p = .00; 95% CI [.39, .65]), or bench press conditions (β = .48, p = .00; 95% CI [.34, .62]). Meanwhile, moral disengagement predicted reduced tendency in providing neutral-positive comments, regardless of squats (β = -.49, p = .00; 95% CI [-.61, -.36]), deadlifts (β = -.48, p = .00; 95% CI [-.60, -.36]), or bench press conditions (β = -.42, p = .00; 95% CI [-.55, -.29]).

Discussion
This study is the first to examine the influence of moral disengagement on verbal bullying in the contexts of strength training and bodybuilding. The results demonstrated that individuals high in moral disengagement were more likely to engage in verbal bullying and less likely to provide neutral or positive comments to others. The findings call for researchers and practitioners’ attention to tackling moral disengagement for addressing verbal bullying.