Moderating Effect of the Social Physique Anxiety in Relationship between Muscularity and Exercise Dependence in Male Weight Trainers

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the relationship among drive of muscularity, social physique anxiety, and exercise dependence symptoms in male weight trainers. Furthermore, the moderating effect of social physique anxiety in the relationship between drive of muscularity and exercise dependence symptoms was also investigated. By a random sampling method, 188 volunteers were selected as participants from the weight training fitness center in Kaohsiung. After obtaining the informed consents, participants were administered by the drive of muscularity inventory, social physique anxiety inventory and exercise dependence inventory. The results were as follows: There were positive correlations among drive of muscularity and withdrawal, tolerance, continuance, reductions in other activities, time, and intention effect of exercise dependence symptoms. Positive correlations were also observed among social physique anxiety and withdrawal, tolerance, lack of control, reductions in other activities, and intention effect of exercise dependence symptoms. The moderating effect of social physique anxiety on the relationship between behavioral approach and lack of control, the reductions in other activities, and intention effect of exercise dependence symptoms were found to be significant in this study. The post hoc comparison indicated that the behavioral approach had more predictive power (17%) on reductions in other activities for the high physique anxiety groups. Our study concludes that drive for muscularity could be the vital factor of exercise dependence in male weight trainers.