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We explored how physically active women perceived, experienced, and coped with their aging bodies, and examined their perceptions of the utility of self-compassion to manage aging body-related changes. Findings from a thematic analysis of interviews with 21 women aged 65–94 revealed that they were appreciative of how their bodies worked and accepting of their physical limitations, yet concurrently critical of their body’s functionality and appearance. Participants engaged in physical activity and healthy eating to maintain their health and body functionality, yet also used diet, hair styling, anti-aging creams, makeup, physical activity, and clothing to manage their appearances. To assess their bodies (in)adequacies, they engaged in upward or downward social comparisons with others their age. Participants perceived self-compassion for the aging body to be idealistic and contextual. Findings highlight the importance of health and body functionality in influencing the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral management of the aging body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined differences in body-related shame, guilt, pride, and envy based on intrapersonal characteristics of sex, age, and weight status in 527 Canadian adults. Compared to men, women reported significantly higher shame and guilt contextualized to the body. No sex differences were observed for envy or pride. Middle-aged adults reported higher shame and lower pride compared with young adults, whereas no age differences were observed with body-related guilt. Meanwhile, shame and guilt were highest for individuals who had overweight or obese weight status, and pride was highest in individuals with average weight status. Overall, effect sizes were small and there were no significant interaction effects between sex, age, and weight status across body-related emotions. Further research is needed to capture similarities and differences of body-related self-conscious emotions between intrapersonal characteristics, to aid the development of intervention strategies to manage this important dimension of body image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine self-compassion as a way to promote healthy responses in women athletes when faced with emotionally difficult sport-specific situations. Design Phase I, cross-sectional; Phase II, experimental. Methods In Phase I, participants ( N = 101; M age = 20.0, SD = 2.8 years) completed measures of self-compassion, self-esteem, and narcissism, as well as reactions, thoughts, and emotions in response to hypothetical (i.e., responsible for a team loss) and recalled scenarios. Participants returning for Phase II were randomly assigned to a brief self-compassion induction ( n = 21), self-esteem induction ( n = 20), or writing control ( n = 18) group. Following the induction, they responded to the same hypothetical scenario as in Phase I. Phase I results After partialling out self-esteem and narcissism, self-compassion was related ( p < .01) to negative affect ( r = −.40), catastrophizing thoughts ( r = −.30), personalizing thoughts ( r = −.32), and behavioral equanimity ( r = .28) for the hypothetical scenario. A similar pattern was found for the recalled scenario. Phase II results A MANOVA with Phase I self-compassion, self-esteem, and narcissism as covariates resulted in a non-significant group by time interaction, Wilks' Lambda = .75, F (12,96) = 1.27, p = .25. Follow-up hierarchical regression analysis showed Phase I levels of self-compassion as the only significant predictor for negative affect, personalizing thoughts, and behavioral equanimity. Conclusions Women athletes with higher self-compassion levels generally responded in healthier ways to emotionally difficult hypothetical and recalled situations in sport than their less self-compassionate counterparts. However, future research needs continued focus on evaluating self-compassion inductions and interventions for use in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Examined predictors of body related state shame and guilt in women. [•] Higher shame proneness related to higher state shame and guilt. [•] Lower physical self-concept related to higher body shame and guilt. [•] High global and low control attributions related to higher state shame and guilt. [•] Evidence that global and control attributions mediated effects on shame and guilt. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives. To examine the role of causal attributions, goal importance, and goal discrepancy as predictors of discrete emotions in youth sport settings. More specifically, causal attributions and goal characteristics were examined in an actual performance test and a natural competitive setting. Both direct effects and moderator models were tested.Method. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, 130 adolescent soccer players completed the Leger fitness test, as well as measures of goal importance and objective goal discrepancy, and the CDSII to assess causal dimensions PANAS-X to assess emotions. In the second study, 174 adolescent swimmers and track and field athletes participated in sport-specific competitions. Participants completed the same battery of questionnaires as in the first study with the exception that a measure of subjective goal discrepancy replaced objective goal discrepancy.Results. Results showed general consistency across studies. Both causal dimensions and goal characteristics (importance and discrepancy) showed direct effects in the prediction of emotion. However, there was no support for theoretical links between causal dimensions and specific emotions. Little support was found for a moderator model examining the interactions among and between goal characteristics and causal dimensions. In addition, subjective performance discrepancy was a much stronger predictor of emotion in the second study compared with objective performance discrepancy in the first study.Conclusions. Although causal attributions and goal characteristics are important predictors of emotion, there was little support for the theoretical model proposing an interaction among these variables in the experience of emotion for youth sport participants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the emotion narratives in older women's ageing body and physical activity-related stories. Method The study was informed by narrative inquiry. We conducted two semi-structured interviews with 21 women aged 65 to 94 and asked them about their physical activity engagement, and body perceptions, experiences, and management strategies. Using thematic narrative analysis, we analysed the content of participants’ stories pertaining to physical activity, the core patterns within them, and considered the cultural context in which they were embedded. Results Emotion narratives of anxiety/fear, shame, guilt, pride, and pleasure permeated the women's stories. Participants feared physical and cognitive decline, and engaged in physical activity to stave off the ageing process. Body-related shame and guilt transected their stories; they were frustrated by their inabilities to engage in certain activities and with their move away from the healthy and physically fit cultural ideal. To negotiate this body-related anxiety/fear, shame, and guilt, the women drew attention to their accomplishments in the physical domain with pride, reinforcing their efforts to take personal responsibility for their health. Participants were also physically active for pleasure, gaining satisfaction from the social connections and mindfulness derived from being active, and through their participation in challenging yet rewarding activities. Conclusions The findings are novel as they highlight the importance of cultural age and body norms coupled with complex emotional experiences in shaping later life physical activity experiences, and draw attention to the usefulness of stories to explore emotions in the physical domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: To explore how adolescents cope with social physique anxiety. Methods: Participants were 398 female (mean age of 15.4 years, SD = 1.3) and 223 male (mean age of 15.4 years, SD = 1.1) adolescents who provided open-ended responses to a self-identified situation in which they experienced social physique anxiety. A codebook of 24 dimensions was developed to code participants’ coping strategies. Measures of state and trait social physique anxiety and coping function were also completed. Results: Females had significantly higher mean values than males on social physique anxiety scales and emotion-focused coping function. Females reported a total of 1051 strategies and males reported 473 coping strategies. The most commonly reported coping strategies were behavioral avoidance (reported by 41.5% of females and 33.2% of males), appearance management (39.9% females, 24.4% males), social support (22.1% females, 17.1% males), cognitive avoidance (20.4% females, 18.7% males), and acceptance (19.6% females, 29.0% males). Social physique anxiety in the self-identified situation was related to both trait social physique anxiety (r = .44, females; r = .36, males) and the number of strategies reported (r = .21, females; r = .23, males). Conclusions: First, this study provides important insight into the wide range of cognitive and behavioral coping strategies adolescents use to manage social physique anxiety. Second, the development of the codebook that was necessary to code the adolescents’ open-ended coping responses has the potential to act as a starting point as a taxonomy for coping in the body domain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives The aim of this study was to develop a new self-report instrument to assess experiences of shame, guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride in a fitness context. Design and method In Study 1, 41 potential items were developed and assessed for item quality and comprehension. In Study 2, a panel of experts ( N = 8; M = 10.55, SD = 6.49 years of experience) assessed the scale and items for validity evidence based on content. Participants in Study 3 ( N = 435) completed the Body-related Self-Conscious Emotions Fitness instrument (BSE-FIT) and other established self-report measures of body image, personality, emotion, and behavior. A subset of participants ( n = 38; 38% male) in Study 3 completed a 2-week follow-up. Results The BSE-FIT subscale scores demonstrated evidence for internal consistency, temporal stability over a 2-week period, concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity. A 4-factor conceptualization of the instrument was supported. Conclusions Overall, the final 16-item BSE-FIT instrument shows promise as a new instrument for assessing shame, guilt, and authentic and hubristic facets of pride in fitness contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study investigated the role of self-presentation motivation across three groups with known differences in disordered eating behavior. Methods: Female participants (N =131) were currently in-treatment for an eating disorder (n =39), deemed at-risk (n =46), or not-at-risk for an eating disorder (n =46). All participants completed general and physique-specific measures of self-presentation motivation. Results: Results revealed significant moderate differences between groups. Those not-at-risk reported lower levels of self-presentation motivation across all measures compared to those in the other groups. Those at-risk reported significantly lower scores across global measures of self-presentation motivation, but not physique-specific motives, than those in-treatment. A discriminant function analysis demonstrated that self-presentation motivation correctly classified 63.4% of cases. Discussion: Results suggest that self-presentation motives may be particularly salient for individuals at-risk or in-treatment for eating disordered behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In high-performance sport, an athlete's ability to overcome setbacks and sustain their pursuit of long-term goals is essential for success. Grit (i.e., passion and perseverance over long-terms) has been linked to success in a variety of domains but is often critiqued for its limited predictive utility when compared to other psychological variables including self-control, conscientiousness, and mental toughness. The purpose of this study was to examine whether grit predicted important athlete outcomes (i.e., various measures of sport performance and athlete well-being) beyond other determinants of success. Data from 214 collegiate student-athletes (111 women, 103 men; M age = 21.02, SD = 2.26) from Western Canadian universities were analysed. When predicting performance, the addition of the grit subscales (i.e., consistency of interests, perseverance of effort, adaptability to situations) explained an additional 11% of variance (R 2 = 0.37, F [7, 203] = 7.16, p <.001) beyond self-control, conscientiousness, and mental toughness in subjective sport performance perceptions; however, grit did not add unique variance when entered into models predicting athlete goal achievement perceptions or highest level of competition. When predicting well-being, addition of the grit subscales added 18% of unique variance (R 2 = 0.43, F [7, 203] = 21.43, p <.001) beyond other determinants of success in eudaimonic well-being, and 5% (R 2 = 0.17, F [7, 203] = 6.95, p <.001) in satisfaction with sport, but did not add any unique variance to the model predicting mood. The partial support of the predictive utility of grit illustrates the complexity of forecasting success in sport and offers evidence that grit should continue to be studied as a motivational disposition in the domain of sport. • Grit subscales (PE, CI, AS) added unique variance to models predicting performance and well-being. • PE was a significant predictor of some measures of performance and well-being, while CI was not. • A new grit subscale—AS—was a significant predictor of some measures of performance and well-being. • Mental toughness was the most consistent predictor of our six performance and well-being. • Conscientiousness and self-control did not significantly contribute to regression models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to test associations between the fulfillment of basic psychological needs and two dimensions of psychological well-being using (a) an additive model and (b) a balanced model. Design: This study employed a non-probability based sampling and a cross-sectional design. Methods: Collegiate volleyball players (N = 219; n females = 127) completed a battery of self-report instruments. Results: Aligned within Basic Psychological Needs Theory () and study hypotheses (), results demonstrated that basic psychological need fulfillment was associated with psychological well-being in the context of volleyball (R 2 adj ranged from 0.20 to 0.35). Balanced psychological need fulfillment was generally predictive, albeit minimally, of well-being indices beyond the contributions made by perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness. Conclusions: This investigation highlights the need for further study of BPNT in the realm of sport including assessments of balanced need satisfaction on markers of well-being. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Individuals who are more physically active, compared to those who are less physically active, typically report more favourable perceptions of their physical appearance and functioning (i.e., physical self-concept). However, there is limited empirical evidence examining how psychological processes associated with physical activity can affect the strength of this relationship. In the current study, perceptions of controllability (i.e., controllable attributions) was tested as a moderator of the relationship between physical activity and physical self-concept. A sample of 189 adults (M age = 23.8 years; n male = 76, n female = 112, n unspecified = 1) read hypothetical scenarios that elicited emotions specific to achievement or failure. Participants completed measures assessing their attributions for each scenario, together with self-report physical activity and physical self-concept. In the final models, the relationship between physical activity and physical self-concept was stronger among those participants who reported higher perceptions of controllability. The effectiveness of physical activity interventions may be improved through attributional retraining to adaptive (controllable) attributions. • Self-conscious emotions, pride and shame arise from fitness-based scenarios. • Controllability moderates physical activity and physical self-concept relationship. • Attribution retraining might improve outcomes of physical activity interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite well-documented benefits of sport participation for adolescents, girls are less likely to initiate participation and more likely to disengage from sport, compared to boys. Due to the highly evaluative and social nature of the sport context, girls' emotional experiences around their body's abilities, function, and fitness are important – yet understudied – predictors of sport participation. The objectives of this longitudinal study were to describe changes in fitness-related and appearance-related self-conscious emotions (i.e., guilt, shame, authentic pride, hubristic pride) and sport experiences (i.e., sport commitment, enjoyment, anxiety) over time, and examine whether between- and within-person differences in these emotions predict sport experiences during adolescence. A sample of 518 girls involved in organized sport completed questionnaires once a year over a three-year period. Results from multilevel models reveal detrimental changes in emotions, sport commitment and enjoyment over time. Further, fitness-related emotions remain significant predictors of sport experiences above and beyond appearance-related emotions thus highlighting the importance of fitness-related emotions in predicting sport experiences. Examining both between and within-person effects is novel in elucidating the predictive capacity of fitness-related emotions as they explain differences between girls – as well as variations in girls' sport experiences over time. • Fitness-related shame and guilt increased; pride, sport commitment and enjoyment decreased over 3-years. • Girls with higher levels of fitness-related shame and guilt, and lower levels of pride reported worsened sport experiences. • Girls reported poor sport experiences at times when all emotions were worse than their own average. • Fitness-related self-conscious emotions contribute to sport experiences above and beyond appearance emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]