Body image dissatisfaction and aesthetic exercise in adolescents: are they related?

This study investigated if boys and girls who practice exercises with aesthetic propose report higher levels of body dissatisfaction compared to their inactive peers. A total of 199 adolescents (89 boys), mean age 16.1 years, completed measures of body dissatisfaction and psychological commitment to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maria Fernanda Laus, Telma Maria Braga Costa, Sebastião Sousa Almeida
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte 2013-06-01
Series:Estudos de Psicologia (Natal)
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-294X2013000200001&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:This study investigated if boys and girls who practice exercises with aesthetic propose report higher levels of body dissatisfaction compared to their inactive peers. A total of 199 adolescents (89 boys), mean age 16.1 years, completed measures of body dissatisfaction and psychological commitment to exercise. Results demonstrated that active boys presented lower dissatisfaction than their inactive peers; and active girls were significantly more dissatisfied than inactive ones. Active boys were more satisfied than active girls. The majority of active girls reported a desire for a slimmer silhouette; while active boys were equally divided between those who desired a heavier silhouette and those who were satisfied. Psychological commitment to exercise did not differ between satisfied and dissatisfied active adolescents. Thus, girls who practice aesthetic exercises must be looked at as a high risk population to the development of health harmful behaviors and eating disorders.
ISSN:1678-4669