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In this study, we explored the role of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA; Miilunpalo, 2001) in women's eudaimonic well being (i.e., psychological flourishing at one's maximal potential; Ryff, 1989). We used a quantitative approach (N = 349) to explore the relationship between HEPA and eudaimonic well being. While HEPA was not related to eudaimonic well being, experiencing eudaimonia through HEPA contributed unique variance in eudaimonic well being beyond HEPA and experiencing hedonia through HEPA. As quality of activity was more important than quantity, a qualitative component (N = 10) provided further insight on if and how HEPA contributes to women's eudaimonic well being. Participants supported HEPA in fulfilling their potential through goal setting/striving, providing bonding experiences, allowing for self-reflection, and developing a physical/able body. (Contains 2 tables.)

Some women athletes have expressed the perceived need to be self-critical to flourish in sport; however, women athletes with higher self-compassion levels tend to have greater psychological flourishing. Athletes' baseline levels of self-compassion (i.e., having a kind, connected, and balanced self-attitude when experiencing hardships) may be key to psychologically flourish in sport during the competitive season, yet this has not been examined over time. The purpose of this study was to examine whether women athletes' self-compassion at the start of their competitive season predicted variance beyond self-criticism in psychological flourishing at the end of their season. Competitive women athletes (N = 78; Mage = 22.97 years) in Canada completed an online survey at the start and end of their competitive season. Self-report measures included athlete versions of self-compassion and self-criticism scales, and sport-specific proxy measures of six components of psychological flourishing (autonomy, mastery, growth, positive relatedness, purpose, and self-acceptance). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that early season self-compassion explained 6% and 9% variance beyond self-criticism on end-of-season purpose and self-acceptance, respectively. The full models accounted for 12% and 29% of the variance. The results suggest that self-compassion may have an enduring and adaptive contribution to some dimensions of psychological flourishing in sport. Intentionally implementing self-compassion interventions at the start of women athletes' competitive seasons may have merit on the trajectory of their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity (PA) levels among adolescent girls continue to steadily decline, especially for those classified as 'at-risk'. To mitigate these trends, Girls United and on the Move (GUM) was created as a dual-component PA and psychosocial program. The primary purpose of this study was to explore participant experiences within GUM, with a secondary purpose of qualitatively informing future PA programs for 'at-risk' adolescent girls. Semi-structured interviews (N = 30) were conducted with a purposeful sample of girls from the GUM program. An inductive thematic analysis was utilized to analyze verbatim transcripts. Two themes were generated from the data: 1) Girls uplifting girls, outlining the importance of a girls-only environment and introducing opportunities for alternative PAs, and 2) finding balance between the physical and psychological, detailing the importance of the dual-component program. These findings provide support for the acceptability of an integrated psychosocial and PA program for at-risk adolescent girls. [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 aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical self-perceptions and physical activity in Canadian school children aged 10–14 years. The sample consisted of 220 boys and 246 girls in grades 5–8. Physical activity was assessed by 7-day recall using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. Selfperceptions of physical conditioning, sports competence, strength, body appearance and general physical selfworth were measured by the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP). We found that boys were more physically active than girls and had higher perceptions of sport competence and strength. All PSPP scales were significantly correlated with physical activity in both boys and girls. Structural equation modelling procedures found the hierarchical PSPP model provided a good fit to the observed data, with little evidence of diff erences between the sexes. Analysis of five alternative structural models of the relationship between the PSPP and physical activity found the most parsimonious model to have significant pathways from both physical conditioning and sport skills to physical activity. Models for the sample as a whole, for boys and for girls were similar, accounting for an R 2 of 0.27–0.29 for physical activity. Our results demonstrate that physical self-perceptions, especially physical conditioning and sport skills, are significant correlates of activity in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Lymphedema, pain, and range of motion restrictions after breast cancer remain underexplored, and few interventions have been developed for these women. Together with a yoga instructor, our interdisciplinary research team developed a yoga program for women with lymphedema after breast cancer (n = 13). Qualitative interviews and participants' journals show that there were a number of benefits to the yoga program. Themes outlining these are (1) understanding arm morbidity; (2) becoming aware of posture; and (3) countering fatigue. More surprisingly, perhaps, the participants also described the ways in which yoga furthered their understandings of loss associated with disability, the fourth theme, and showed that yoga enhanced their experiences of embodiment, the final theme. Finally, we assert that our research demonstrates the potential for qualitative research connected to the evaluation of interventions and that it demonstrates the blurring of traditional boundaries between interventions and data collection.

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.)

This study investigated the effects of a self-compassion intervention on negative cognitive states and self-compassion in varsity women athletes. Athletes who self-identified as being self-critical were randomly assigned to a self-compassion intervention (n = 29) or attention control group (n = 22). The self-compassion intervention consisted of a psychoeducation session and writing components completed over a 7-day period. Measures of self-compassion, state self-criticism, state rumination, and concern over mistakes were collected pretreatment, at 1 week posttreatment, and at a 4-week follow-up. A mixed factorial MANOVA with follow-up post hoc tests demonstrated moderate-to-strong effects for the intervention at posttest and follow-up (Wilks's Λ = .566, F (8, 42) = 4.03, p < .01, η2 = .43). The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the self-compassion intervention in managing self-criticism, rumination, and concern over mistakes. Fostering self-compassionate mind frames is a potential coping resource for women athletes dealing with negative events in sport.

Self-compassion has demonstrated many psychological benefits (Neff, 2009). In an effort to explore self-compassion as a potential resource for young women athletes, we explored relations among self-compassion, proneness to self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame, guilt-free shame, guilt, shame-free guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride), and potentially unhealthy self-evaluative thoughts and behaviors (i.e., social physique anxiety, obligatory exercise, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation). Young women athletes (N = 151; Mage = 15.1 years) participated in this study. Self-compassion was negatively related to shame proneness, guilt-free shame proneness, social physique anxiety, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation. In support of theoretical propositions, self-compassion explained variance beyond self-esteem on shame proneness, guilt-free shame proneness, shame-free guilt proneness, objectified body consciousness, fear of failure, and fear of negative evaluation. Results suggest that, in addition to self-esteem promotion, self-compassion development may be beneficial in cultivating positive sport experiences for young women.

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.

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.