An exploratory examination of the relationship between harmonious and obsessive passion and specific symptoms of exercise dependence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to examine the differential association between (i) harmonious and obsessive forms of passion for exercise (HP and OP, respectively) and (ii) specific exercise dependence symptoms. Self-reported cross-sectional data from 618 Spanish regular exercisers aged from 18 to 36 years (M age = 21.15, SD age = 2.78, 39.80% females) were analysed using multiple-indicators-multiple-causes (MIMIC) models with a maximum-likelihood robust (MLR) estimation method. In these analyses, gender, age, perceived health status, exercise frequency, risk of eating disorders, and depressive symptoms were considered as potential confounding variables. The results showed that HP contributed to explaining significant proportions of variance in three specific exercise dependence symptoms (time, tolerance, and continuance), while OP contributed to explaining significant proportions of variance across the full range of exercise dependence symptoms. The variance explained by the regression models ranged from 23.50% (for withdrawal symptoms) to 54.70% (for time symptoms). These findings support the differential nature of the potential causal relationships between the autonomous and controlled processes of behavioural internalisation inherent to HP and OP, respectively, for exercise and specific exercise dependence symptoms. The controlled behavioural internalisation processes characterising OP (i.e., those involving exercise engagement under contingencies not necessarily endorsed by the individual) may be particularly maladaptive according to their specific and positive relationship with the full range of exercise dependence symptoms.