Discrepancy between actual and ideal body image: comparisons of university students

Abstract

An understanding of body image perception by emerging professionals in areas of sport, exercise and physical activity is limited. This study considered how discrepancies between ideal and perceived actual body image differed in between male and female third year sport and exercise science university students. Participants completed questionnaires that examined body image, self esteem, and awareness of socio-cultural attitudes towards appearance. The Body Image States Scale (Cash et al., 2002), State Self-Esteem Scale (Heatherton & Polivy, 1991) and the Situational lnventory of Body Image Dysphoria - Short form (SIBID-S) (Cash, 2002). Additionally, female participants completed the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) (Heinberg, Thompson & Stormer, 1995). A same-sex computer image was then manipulated to reflect the participant's perception of their ideal and current body shape (Maschette & Sands, 2003). Male (N=15) and female (N=29) participants participated (reword??) reported equally participation in physical activity (2 (1, 44)=0.09, p>0.05), while 54.5% of male and female participants included identified weight training as part of their regular exercise regime. Discriminant function analysis revealed one significant function (λ = 0.46, p<0.01) indicating that female participants were more likely to report negative body image perceptions and a belief that their thighs size was larger than the those of an idealised female body. In contrast, male participants were more likely to report a positive body image perception and a belief that their thigh sizes were smaller than the idealised male body. Classification procedures correctly classified 86.4% of participants into their respective gender. Female participants with increased awareness of the sociocultural attitudes towards appearance reported increased levels of anger (r=0.40, p<0.05) and negative body image (r=0.41, p<0.05) and lower levels of social (r=-0.46, p<0.05) and appearance self-esteem (r=-0.44, p<0.05). Whilst male and female participants shared similar physical activity patterns, it would appear that their psychological experience differed .the psychological experiences of body image and self-esteem were more negatively experienced by females, suggesting vulnerability within this area.