The Psychological Characteristics and Health Related Behavior of Adolescents: The Possible Roles of Social Physique Anxiety and Gender

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not the social physique anxiety level and gender have an influence on psychological characteristics and health related behavior of adolescents. Five hundred and ninety eight female (M age = 14.95, SD = .70 years) and three hundred and eighty four male (M age = 15.08, SD = .76 years) adolescents voluntarily participated in this study. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), three subscales of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale as indicators of psychological characteristics were administered to all participants. The Eating Attitude Test and Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire were used to determine health related behavior. It was found that adolescents with high levels of SPA (HSPA) had more unfavourable eating attitudes, higher scores in socially-prescribed perfectionism, negative global physical self-worth and negative body related perceptions than those with low levels of SPA (LSPA). Physical activity levels of adolescents did not differ in the two SPA groups (high/low level). In addition, male adolescents in the present study were more physically active and had favorable eating attitudes and more positive self-perceptions of body fat and general physical self-worth than their female counterparts.El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar si el nivel de ansiedad física social y el género tienen o no, influencia sobre las características psicológicas y la conducta saludable de los adolescentes. En esta investigación participaron voluntariamente 598 chicas (M age = 14.95, SD = 0.70 años) y 384 chicos (M age = 15.08, SD = 0.76 años) en edad adolescente. Como indicadores de las características psicológicas, a todos los participantes se les aplicó la Escala de Ansiedad Física y Social (SPAS), tres subescalas del Cuestionario de Auto-percepción Física, y la Escala Multidimensional de Perfeccionismo. El Test de Actitudes Alimentarias y el Cuestionario de Valoración de Actividad Física fueron utilizados para determinar la conducta saludable. Se descubrió que los adolescentes con altos niveles de ansiedad física social (HSPA) poseían más actitudes alimentarias desfavorables, mayores puntuaciones en perfeccionismo socialmente prescrito, menor autoestima física y percepciones negativas en relación con su cuerpo, que aquellos con bajos niveles de ansiedad física social (LSPA). Los niveles de actividad física de los adolescentes no se diferenciaban en los dos grupos (alto y bajo nivel de ansiedad física social). Además, en el presente estudio, los varones adolescentes eran físicamente más activos, tenían buenas actitudes alimentarias, una más positiva auto-percepción de la grasa corporal y una mejor autoestima física general, que sus homólogas femeninas.Palabras clave: ansiedad física social, actitudes alimentarias, perfeccionismo, yo físico, actividad física.

Social Physique Anxiety and Disturbed Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in Adolescents: Moderating Effects of Sport, Sport-Related Characteristics, and Gender

“…This result suggests thus that boys with high levels of physical self-presentation concerns, which are usually less frequent than in girls, tend to exhibit higher levels (in magnitude) of food control strategies. This finding is in contradiction with previous studies [14,30] and infirm the sixth hypothesis (H6). What is known is that leanness and thinness concerns, which is at the core of the SPA and DEAB measures considered in the present study, tends to be less frequent among boys than among girls (27)(28)(29).…”

“…This study, based in part on Leary and Kowalski's [5] impression management model, aimed to verify the hypotheses that (a) SPA (H1) and involvement in sport practice (H2) are significantly and positively related to DEAB; (b) the relationships between SPA and DEAB significantly differ according to involvement or not in sport practice (H3), and to the specific type and context of sport practice (H4); and (c) that the relationships between DEAB and sport practice (H5), or SPA (H6), will significantly differ according to gender. The obtained results confirm the first hypothesis (H1) and replicate previous research findings [e.g., 11,14,30,31] by demonstrating a significant and positive relationship between SPA and DEAB (i.e., generic DEAB, vomiting-purging behaviors and eating-related control). More specifically, as pointed out Martin-Ginis and Leary [23], these results are consistent with the idea that adolescents presenting higher levels of self-presentation pressure also tend to present higher levels of DEAB, possibly in an attempt to achieve a thinner physical self-image.…”

“…This study has three objectives. First, this study attempts to replicate the previously reported significant positive relationships between SPA [11,14,30,31] or involvement sport practice [e.g., 33,[35][36][37][38][39][40], and DEAB dimensions (i.e., generic DEAB, eating-related control, and vomiting-purging behaviors) in adolescents. This objective will be investigated while controlling for the effects of age and BMI, both of which have been found to significantly predict SPA and DEAB [18,29,54,55].…”

“…The relationship between SPA and DEAB has been recently examined among mixed samples (boys and girls) of adolescents and young adults. Although current studies are still few, they highlighted that high levels of SPA are significantly associated with high levels of DEAB among both boys and girls [11,14,30,31], but that the strength of the positive relationship between SPA and DEAB tend to be significantly higher for girls than for boys [14]. These gender-based differences on the strength of the positive relationship between SPA and DEAB may be explained by the fact that the physical selfpresentation concerns experienced by boys tend to be more commonly driven by a desire to be more muscular rather than a desire to be thin [14,32].…”

The Relationships between Maturation, Physical Activity and Objectified Body Consciousness in the Sample of Adolescents

“…Our study as well as the other research revealed that lower physical activity was common in girls (Zaborskis, Lenciauskiene, 2006;Brunet, Sabiston, 2009;Caglar et al, 2010). According to other researchers, poorer body image is common in girls as well (Brunet et al, 2010;Kerremans et al, 2010;Kerremans et al, 2010).…”