Personal Standards but not Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns Perfectionism
Personal Standards but not Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns Perfectionism Predicts Exercise Dependency Over Time Sarah Ernst, Irina Vanzhula, M. S. , & Cheri Levinson, Ph. D. University of Louisville, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Introduction Excessive Exercise: • Associated with physical and psychological impairment (Berczik et al. , 2012) • Symptom of Eating Disorders (EDs) Perfectionism: • Personal Standards (PS): actively striving for high standards set for oneself (Di. Bartolo, Frost, Chang, La. Sota, & Grills, 2004) • Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns (MEC): low tolerance of imperfections and self-criticism for making mistakes (Di. Bartolo, Li, & Frost, 2008) • MEC prospectively predicts ED symptoms (Hall et al. , 2009) • Perfectionism is a known vulnerability for EDs (Bardone-Cone et al. , 2006) • High perfectionism is positively associated with exercise dependency (Shroff et al. , 2006) Current study: • Does perfectionism predict exercise dependency over time? Procedure Figure 1: Cross-Sectional Model • Participants enrolled in an ED prevention program completed online questionnaires at baseline and one month later postintervention Data Analysis Multiple regression analysis was conducted using SPSS • Cross-sectional model: Independent variables: PS, MEC, and ED symptoms Dependent variables: exercise dependency • Longitudinal Model: Independent variables: PS, MEC, ED symptoms, and exercise dependency at time 1 Dependent variables: Exercise dependency at time 2 Note: * indicates p <. 05 level; ** indicates p <. 001 Figure 2: Prospective Model Participants • Female students (N = 444) at a private Southeastern High school • Mean age: 15. 18 years old, SD = 0. 62 • Ethnicities represented: European American (82. 8%, n= 390), African American (4. 9%, n= 23), Hispanic (4. 5%, n= 21), Multiracial (3. 2%, n = 15), Chinese (1. 7%, n = 8), American Indian (1. 3%, n = 6), and Asian (1. 0%, n = 5) Results • Cross-Sectionally (F [3, 432] = 39. 62, p <. 001, R 2=. 22) ED symptoms, PS, and MEC were all positively associated with exercise dependency Note: * indicates p <. 05 level Measures Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990) • Personal Standards (PS) subscale, e. g. “I set higher goals for myself than most people • Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns (MEC; Levinson et al. , 2013) composite, consisting of the Parental Criticism, Parental Expectations, Concerns over Mistakes, and Doubts about Actions subscales, e. g. “I should be upset if I make a mistake” • Good test-retest reliability and discriminant validity (Hewitt, Flett, Turnball-Donovan, & Mikail, 1991) Exercise Dependency Scale (EDS; Hausenblas & Downs, 2002) • Total score used • E. g. , “I exercise to avoid feeling anxious” • High test-retest reliability and convergent validity (Downs, Hausenblas, & Niggs, 2004) Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ; Fairburn & Beglin, 1994) • Global score measures ED thoughts and behaviors over last 28 days • Demonstrates good test-retest reliability and concurrent validity (Mond, Hay, Rodgers, Owen, & Beumont, 2004) • E. g. , “Have you had a definite desire for your stomach to be flat? ” • Longitudinally (F [4, 349] = 38. 67, p <. 001, R 2 =. 31), PS, but not MEC, predicted exercise dependency at time 2 while accounting for baseline ED and EDS symptoms Table 1: Cross-Sectional Model Constant MEC EDEQ PS Partial r ----0. 12 0. 20 β ---0. 15 0. 23 0. 20 Std. Error 3. 03 0. 06 0. 16 0. 77 t-value 3. 72 p-value. 001 2. 41 4. 19 . 017. 000 t-value 3. 72 9. 03 2. 51 2. 19 p-value. 001. 230. 013. 029 Table 2: Prospective Model Constant Time 1 EDS MEC EDEQ PS Partial r ----0. 44 -0. 06 0. 13 0. 12 β ---0. 46 0. 13 Std. Error 3. 03 0. 07 1. 09 0. 22 Discussion • Cross-sectionally, both PS and MEC are involved in exercise dependency • Over time, individuals who are high in PS perfectionism, are more likely to develop exercise dependency • Consistent with past research (Hall, Kerr, Kozub, & Finnie, 2007) • Judging oneself for not meeting high standards (for amount and quality of exercise) may lead to maladaptive exercise (Taranis & Meyer, 2010) • PS may drive exercise dependency, while MEC may instead contribute to other symptoms related to eating pathology, such as overvaluation of weight • Individuals with EDs who are high in PS may be at risk for exercise dependency • PS could be a risk factor in adolescents participating in sports • Perfectionism-focused prevention program for athletes
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