Social Physique Anxiety in Physical Education: Social Contextual Factors and Links to Motivation and Behavior

Anne E. Cox (Illinois State University, Campus Box 5120, Normal, IL 61790, USA)
Sarah Ullrich-French (Washington State University, PO Box 641410, Pullman, WA 99164, USA)
Joe Madonia, Katie Witty (Illinois State University)

Article History:
- Received: 20 July 2010
- Revised: 6 May 2011
- Accepted: 7 May 2011
- Available Online: 26 May 2011
Keywords:
- Self-determination theory
- Adolescents
- Teacher support
- Peer acceptance
- Friendship

To examine the associations of:
- Social relationships with teachers and peers (peer acceptance, presence of a best friend and close friends, teacher support) with Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) in physical education.
- The role of motivation regulations in the relationship between SPA and behavior (effort, participation avoidance).

Type: Cross-sectional survey
Participants: High school physical education students (N = 146, Mage = 15.9 years).
Method: Completed an online survey in a school computer lab assessing the study variables.

Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis:
- Perceived peer acceptance was a negative predictor (p < .01) of SPA.
- SPA negatively predicted autonomous motivation and positively predicted external regulation, amotivation, and participation avoidance.
- Students with greater autonomous motivation and introjected regulation and lower amotivation reported more effort in class.
- Higher amotivation predicted a higher likelihood of avoiding participation in class.

Feelings of acceptance among peers may buffer against SPA in physical education.
SPA shows complex relationships with individual motivation regulations and behavior.
Lack of support for mediating roles suggests further testing is needed.

Physical changes during puberty increase peer evaluations and acceptance.
Adolescents are concerned about presenting their bodies in socially desirable ways, leading to body dissatisfaction and increased SPA.
- SPA defined as distress about possible negative evaluations of one’s physical appearance (Hart, Leary, & Rejeski, 1989).
- SPA can lead to maladaptive behaviors (e.g., avoiding activities where the body is on display).

High school physical education emphasizes public displays of ability and body appearance, likely heightening SPA.
Research has indicated:
- Higher SPA correlates with preferences for same-sex PE classes in females.
- SPA impacts motivation and behavior in physical education settings.

Supportive relationships from significant others (teachers and peers) can mitigate SPA.
Previous studies suggest different impacts of peers versus parents on SPA levels:
- Greater SPA when in the presence of peers compared to parents.
- Presence of friends generally reduces levels of SPA.
- Supportive relationships correlate with lower performance anxiety and higher levels of autonomous motivation in students.

Distinguishes between types of motivation from intrinsic (self-determined) to extrinsic (controlling).
Motivation regulations vary by autonomy level:
- Intrinsic Motivation: Engaging for fun.
- Extrinsic Motivation:
- Integrated regulation: Engaging as part of life goals.
- Identified regulation: Valuing the activity.
- Introjected regulation: Pressured engagement (pride/shame).
- External regulation: Engaging for external rewards.
- Amotivation: Lack of motivation/intention.

Greater perceived teacher support and peer acceptance will correlate negatively with SPA.
Higher SPA will relate positively to controlling forms of motivation and amotivation, and negatively to autonomous forms of motivation, affecting physical activity behaviors.
Motivation regulations will mediate the relationship between SPA and behavioral outcomes.

Sample: 146 students (57 males, 88 females, 1 non-disclosed).
Demographics: Predominantly Caucasian (96%); equal distribution across grades 9-12.
BMI Measurement: Calculated from reported height and weight, which was used as a control variable.

Social Physique Anxiety: Nine-item scale assessing situation-specific anxiety related to body evaluation in PE class (Hart et al., 1989).
Perceived Teacher Support: Four-item measure of perceived emotional support from teachers (Patrick & Ryan, 2005).
Perceived Peer Acceptance: Modified six-item scale assessing social acceptance in PE (Harter’s Self-Perception Profile).
Presence of Friends: Questions on having a best friend and the number of close friends in class.
Motivation Regulations: Assessed using the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (Goudas et al., 1994) across multiple types of motivation.
Self-Reported Effort: Assessed using modified effort-related items from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (McAuley et al., 1989).
Participation Avoidance: One-item measure regarding notes to avoid participation.

Preliminary Analyses: Descriptive statistics and scale reliabilities.
Main Analyses: Hierarchical multiple regression to examine predictors; path analysis to assess relationships among SPA, motivation regulations, and behaviors.

Variables showed moderately low levels of SPA, moderate motivation regulations, and high perceived teacher support and peer acceptance.

Step 1: BMI, gender, and grade significantly predicted SPA (F3, 136 = 11.41, p < .01).
Step 2: Social relationship variables explained significantly more variance in SPA (F7, 132 = 9.95, p < .01).

Full mediation model rejected; significant direct relationships between SPA and behaviors found.
R2 values indicated small to medium effect sizes.
The relative autonomy index partially mediated the connection between SPA and behavioral outcomes.

Peer acceptance is crucial in buffering SPA, while teacher support did not have a significant predictive role in this study.
SPA is associated with decreased autonomous motivation and increased controlling motivation and amotivation.
The mediation by relative autonomy index indicates a more nuanced relationship than anticipated.

Future studies should address the cross-sectional nature of research, self-report biases, sample size limitations, and the potential impact of negative relationships on SPA.
Investigating the interplay of different motivation types and social relationship quality could yield deeper insights into SPA management strategies in physical education settings.

This research highlights the complex dynamics between SPA, social relationships, and motivational behaviors, advocating for a supportive environment in educational settings to decrease SPA's detrimental effects.