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Univerzitet za poslovni inženjering i menadžment (PIM) , Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Gimnazija , Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina
Social physique anxiety (SPA) is a derivative of social anxiety and people tend to experience it in response to others evaluating their physiques. Women achieve higher SPA scores than men. SPA correlates with higher body mass index (BMI). Previous studies have shown that people with higher SPA reported higher levels of distress in situations where their body was exposed to views of others (e.g. during aerobics or swimming). The aim of this study was to determine the correlations between the SPA and the BMI and age in situations which emphasize increased appearance assessment by others (i.e. wearing swim suits in swimming areas). The sample comprised only females (N=161), recruited in Banja Luka swimming areas (72 % river, 28% swimming pools). Participants were asked about their age (M=28.1, SD=10.7 years), their BMI (M=21.9, SD=3.1) – derived from the self-assessment of height and mass, and they completed the SPA questionnaire (SPAS) (M=26.3, SD=7.56). Internal consistency of SPAS was good (ω=.76). No significant correlations were found between the SPA and age (r=-.07, p=.41) nor between the SPA and the BMI (r=0.4, p=.60). Swimming area did not moderate the correlations. Thus, it can be concluded that there is no difference in the SPA depending on the age and the BMI in the observed social situation. The main limitation of this study was a preselected sample, as women with the highest SPA scores were obviously not covered by this sample of recreational female swimmers, which is a possible reason for the absence of the correlation between the SPA and BMI. Although these findings should not be generalized and an extended sample replication is required, this was the first study of the SPA in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As such, it represents a possible starting point for more research in the future.
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