The Relationship Between Body Image Perceptions and Condom Use Outcomes in a Sample of South African Emerging Adults

Research background and hypothesis. The analysis of factors which might inﬂ uence exercise adherence is important issue for physical activity promotion. Studies show that exercisers’ body image is important factor associated with well being, exercise motivation and speciﬁ c exercise–related behaviour.Research aim was is to examine the relationship between exercise adherence, body image and social physique anxiety in a sample of ﬁ tness centre participants. Research methods. Members of ﬁ tness centres (n = 217, 66 of them were women) provided their answers on exercise experience, in three subscales (appearance evaluation, appearance orientation and overweight preoccupation) of The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ-AS; Brown et al., 1990) and Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS; Hart et al., 1989). Mean age of the sample was 29.02 (9.85) years (range = 18–68 years).Research results. Women demonstrated higher appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation and social physique anxiety compared to men. However, we observed no signiﬁ cant differences in appearance evaluation, appearance orientation and overweight preoccupation in the groups of different exercise experience of men and women. When overweight respondents (≥ 25 kg / m²) were excluded from the analysis, there were no statistically signiﬁ cant differences observed in body image and social physique anxiety in exercise experience groups of men and women. Exercising longer than 6 years signiﬁ cantly predicted overweight preoccupation [95% CI: 1.25–16.94] controlled by age and gender. Discussion and conclusions. Exercising men demonstrated more positive body image and lower social physique anxiety compared to women, except for appearance evaluation. There were observed no body image and social physique relationships with exercise adherence observed in the sample of ﬁ tness centre participants, however, exercise experience longer than 6 years predicted overweight preoccupation.Keywords: body image concerns, exercise experience, self-presentation.

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Co-creating the Psychological “White Picket Fence”: Three Gay Couples’ Relationship Reconfiguration

Gender Questions ◽

10.25159/2412-8457/5761 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Prevan Moodley ◽

Francois Rabie

Keyword(s):

Grounded Theory ◽

South African ◽

Gay Couples ◽

Core Category ◽

Picket Fence ◽

Open Relationship ◽

The Individual ◽

The Relationship ◽

Porous Boundaries

Many gay couples engage in nonmonogamous relationships. Ideas about nonmonogamy have historically been theorised as individual pathology and indicating relational distress. Unlike mixed-sex couples, boundaries for gay couples are often not determined by sexual exclusivity. These relationships are built along a continuum of open and closed, and sexual exclusivity agreements are not restricted to binaries, thus requiring innovation and re-evaluation. Three white South African gay couples were each jointly interviewed about their open relationship, specifically about how this is negotiated. In contrast to research that uses the individual to investigate this topic, this study recruited dyads. The couples recalled the initial endorsement of heteronormative romantic constructions, after which they shifted to psychological restructuring. The dyad, domesticated through the stock image of a white picket fence, moved to a renewed arrangement, protected by “rules” and imperatives. Abbreviated grounded theory strategies led to a core category, “co-creating porous boundaries”, and two themes. First, the couple jointly made heteronormative ideals porous and, second, they reconfigured the relationship through dyadic protection. The overall relationship ideology associated with the white picket fence remained intact despite the micro-innovations through which the original heteronormative patterning was reconfigured.

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