Search

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., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

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., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Guided by the process model of self-conscious emotions, this study examined whether physical self-concept (PSC) and shame and guilt proneness were associated with body-related self-conscious emotions of state shame and guilt and if these relationships were mediated by attributions of stability, globality, and controllability. Female participants (N=284; Mean age=20.6±1.9 years) completed measures of PSC and shame and guilt proneness before reading a hypothetical scenario. Participants completed measures of attributions and state shame and guilt in response to the scenario. Significant relationships were noted between state shame and attributions of globality and controllability, and shame proneness, guilt proneness, and PSC. Similar relationships, with the additional predictor of stability, were found for state guilt. Mediation analysis partially supported the process model hypotheses for shame. Results indicate PSC and shame proneness are important in predicting body-related emotions, but the role of specific attributions are still unclear., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to test a model where body-related self-conscious emotions of shame, guilt, and pride were associated with physical activity regulations and behavior. Adult women (N = 389; M age = 29.82, SD = 15.20 years) completed a questionnaire assessing body-related pride, shame, and guilt, motivational regulations, and leisure-time physical activity. The hypothesized measurement and structural models were deemed adequate, as was a revised model examining shame-free guilt and guilt-free shame. In the revised structural model, body-related pride was positively significantly related to identified and intrinsic regulations. Body-related shame-free guilt was significantly associated with external, introjected, and identified regulations. Body-related guilt-free shame was significantly positively related to external and introjected regulation, and negatively associated with intrinsic regulation. Identified and intrinsic regulations were significantly positively related to physical activity (R2 = .62). These findings highlight the importance of targeting and understanding the realm of body-related self-conscious emotions and the associated links to regulations and physical activity behavior.

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 anxietyand 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.

Concerns related to the body are associated with health-compromising behaviors, and although research has indicated that young Aboriginal women are dissatisfied with their bodies, their voices have typically been absent from the literature. The purpose of this case study was to provide insight into the body-related emotional experiences of young, Canadian, urban Aboriginal women. Four young women participated; 3 identified themselves as Aboriginal (one 14-year-old, two 18-year-olds) and 1 as non-Aboriginal (18 years old). Multiple methods (focus group, one-on-one interviews, and artwork) provided the authors the opportunity to listen to the young women's stories. Five themes emerged: (a) conflicting cultures, (b) need to belong, (c) the beauty of difference, (d) journey to acceptance of the body, and (e) the body affects everything. This research highlights the complexity of young Aboriginal women's body-related emotional experiences and indicates that their experiences might not be as negative as previous research has led us to believe.

Objectives: To examine: i) the mean changes in adolescent females' body mass index (BMI), global self-esteem, physical self-perceptions, social physique anxiety, physical activity, and dietary restraint; ii) the stability of measuring self-perceptions, BMI, self-esteem, physique anxiety, activity, and dietary restraint; and iii) the relationships among changes in these variables over 12 months., Methods: 631 female adolescents (15-16 years old) involved in a two-year study of self-report measures completed validated questionnaires in high school classroom settings., Results: There were small but significant group increases in BMI and social physique anxiety and significant decreases in sport, conditioning, and strength physical self-perceptions and physical activity. Stability analysis indicates moderate to strong stability for all variables. Change analyses indicated that BMI, due to its high stability, is a poor predictor of change in all variables. Stronger significant correlations were noted between change in body appearance self-perceptions and change in social physique anxiety (r=-0.54) and dietary restraint (r=-0.27). There was also a significant relationship between change in physical activity and the physical self-perceptions, although conditioning was the only significant (p<0.05) predictor of change in physical activity (beta=0.340)., Interpretation: Physical self-perceptions are a stronger predictor of change in physical activity, dietary restraint, and social physique anxiety compared to BMI. This demonstrates the importance of physical self-perceptions when investigating health-related behaviours associated with dieting and physical activity. The decline in physical activity and increase in BMI is an ongoing concern, as is the link between body appearance self-perceptions and dietary restraint and social physique anxiety.

Researchers propose self-compassion as a resource for athletes, yet, it remains unclear how self-compassion relates to athletes' positive body and eating experiences in sport. The purpose of this research was to explore the role of self-compassion in Canadian women athletes' body appreciation and intuitive eating, applying an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Quantitative results (n=90) highlight that self-compassion was positively related to body appreciation (r=.68, p< 01) and intuitive eating (r=.53, p< .01) and negatively related to disordered eating (r=-.59, p< .01), compulsive exercise (r=-.37, p< .01), and state self-criticism (r=- .45, p< .01). Further, self-compassion contributed beyond self-esteem in study variables (ΔR²s .04 to .09, ps <01). Three generated themes highlight women's experiences (n=6): (a) the uniqueness of sport, (b) compassionate awareness, and (c) personalized expectations. The findings highlight that self-compassion plays a role in Canadian women athletes' body and eating attitudes by promoting adaptive perspectives, and protecting and facilitating well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body image experiences of young Aboriginal women are very complex and influence health in a variety of ways; subsequently, young Aboriginal women have voiced the need for action. The purpose of our research was to engage in a collaborative, school-based participatory action research (PAR) project in partnership with a local high school to provide young women, primarily young Aboriginal women, with an opportunity to manage their body image experiences in an effective manner. Students, teachers, and staff of Nutana Collegiate in Saskatchewan, Canada participated in this project, which took place from September 2006 to June 2007. The two primary phases of this PAR project were focused on building relationships and collaboratively developing action initiatives. The development and implementation of action at the individual, school, provincial, and national levels was the most significant outcome of this research. Findings suggest that universities and local high schools can and should work together to develop school-based body image programs for young Aboriginal women. As well, and maybe most importantly, this research highlights the strength of using PAR methodologies when engaging young Aboriginal women in body image research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on how teenage girl athletes cope with social physique anxiety (SPA). Seventy-three such athletes are interviewed on their coping strategies and their evaluation of their effectiveness in situations within their sports in which they felt they encountered SPA. Social support, behavioral avoidance, short-term appareance management and humor were the most frequently reported coping strategies.

All participatory action research (PAR) projects are unique, with a wide range of methodological challenges for participants and researchers. This paper highlights the manner in which methodological challenges and considerations were addressed in a recent school-based PAR project with young Aboriginal women in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Specifically, we outline: (a) potential challenges of defining the community in school-based PAR, (b) issues associated with negotiating informed consent, (c) processes of developing and maintaining relationships, and (d) challenges associated with ensuring participant collaboration throughout the research process. The intent is not to offer simple answers to such challenges, but to highlight the manner in which such processes were addressed. This research may provide practical insight for future researchers and community members who have similar goals of engaging young Aboriginal women in PAR to address important health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored gender differences in drive for muscularity (DFM), as well as cognitive and behavioral correlates of DFM. Although men (n = 71) reported a higher DFM than women (n = 126), the difference in DFM disappeared when the emphasis on the form of muscularity shifted from muscle size to muscle tone. Men and women reported a number of similar cognitive and behavioral correlates of DFM. The most commonly reported were physical activity (reported by 74.6% of men and 73.0% of women), diet (33.8% of men, 26.2% of women), cognitive problem solving (32.4% of men, 29.4% of women), leisure activity (21.1% of men, 23.8% of women), and social support (18.3% of men, 23.0% of women). Overall, these results support the relevance of DFM to both men and women and the need to better understand a broad range of cognitive and behavioral correlates of DFM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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]

Assesses whether social physique anxiety moderated the relationship between physical self-perceptions and the level of physical activity involvement in young women. Perception of physical conditioning; Body image anxiety.

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]