Date of Graduation
Fall 2021
Degree
Master of Science in Psychology
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair
Brooke Whisenhunt
Abstract
This study examined body image among female high school athletes and college athletes across different sports. Athletes participating in track and field, tennis, cross country, dance, cheer, softball, golf, basketball, soccer, and volleyball completed self-report questionnaires assessing various components of body image including the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearances Questionnaire (SATAQ-4), and an edited version of the CHEER Survey. Responses on the questionnaires were analyzed to evaluate differences between high school and college athletes. No differences were found between high school and college athletes on measures of shape/weight concerns, sociocultural pressures for thinness, or internalization of the thin ideal. However, college female athletes reported that they experience more weight-related pressures from their sport.
Keywords
athletes, body image, females, high school, college
Subject Categories
Clinical Psychology | Health Psychology
Copyright
© Mercedes A. Robinson
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Mercedes A., "Body Image Among High School and College Female Athletes" (2021). MSU Graduate Theses. 3701.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3701
