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Coping with social physique anxiety in adolescence
Kent C Kowalski1, Diane E Mack, Peter R E Crocker
1College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. kent.kowalski@usask.ca
Summary
Adolescents cope with social physique anxiety using strategies like avoidance and appearance management. Females reported higher anxiety and emotion-focused coping than males.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Social physique anxiety is a significant concern during adolescence.
- Understanding coping mechanisms is crucial for adolescent well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the diverse coping strategies adolescents employ when experiencing social physique anxiety.
- To identify gender differences in coping with social physique anxiety.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 621 adolescents (398 female, 223 male) aged 15.4 years.
- Analysis of open-ended responses detailing coping strategies in social physique anxiety situations.
- Development of a 24-dimension codebook for classifying coping strategies.
Main Results:
- Females reported higher social physique anxiety and emotion-focused coping than males.
- Common strategies included behavioral avoidance, appearance management, social support, cognitive avoidance, and acceptance.
- Social physique anxiety correlated with trait anxiety and the number of coping strategies used.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents utilize a broad spectrum of cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage social physique anxiety.
- The developed codebook offers a potential taxonomy for understanding body-related coping mechanisms in adolescents.
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