THE ROLE OF EFFICACY COGNITIONS IN REDUCING PHYSIQUE ANXIETY IN COLLEGE FEMALES 508

Abstract

Exercising for the sake of physical appearance benefits is a self-presentational strategy in which females expect to lose weight, look trimmer and appear more attractive. If a woman doubts she can successfully self-present in this manner, the outcome is social physique anxiety (SPA) or anxiety experienced in response to other's evaluation of one's physique. A social-cognitive perspective on the generation of SPA suggests SPA is a co-effect of self-efficacy. Thus, females with low perceptions of efficacy with respect to appearing attractive to others are likely to be highly physique anxious, regardless of objective attractiveness. The present study examined these proposed relationships in a sample of college females (N=60) who participated in either exercise-only (EO), exercise combined with a cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI), or a nonexercising control group. Prior to and following the program, subjects completed psychological and physiological testing. Examining bivariate correlations first, we found that females with greater reductions in body composition (r=.32) and increases in fitness (r=.24), efficacy (r=.61) and body satisfaction (r=.56) had greater reductions in SPA. However, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that when controlling for other variables, only efficacy (β=.46) and body satisfaction (β=.30) were significant predictors of reductions in physique anxiety. The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications for the treatment of body image concerns in college females.