Social anxiety stemming from acne or other skin conditions might
keep people from exercising, according to the results of a survey of 50
adults selected from an acne support group.
Exercise is important for overall health and skin health, but data
from previous studies have shown that people are often inclined to avoid
participating in sports and other activities because of anxiety about
their appearance.
To examine the link between skin-related social anxiety and the
intention to play sports or exercise, Tom Loney, a PhD student at the
University of Bath (England) and his colleagues surveyed 20 men and 30
women with an average age of 33 years (J. Health Psychol.
2008;13:47-54).
The participants responded to questionnaires that addressed
dermatologic social anxiety, intention to participate in sports and
exercise, self-esteem, and quality of life related to skin conditions.
Based on responses to dermatologic social anxiety statements such
as, "When in a bathing suit, I often feel nervous about the
appearance of my skin," the average score was 3.97 on a scale of 1
(not at all) to 5 (extremely).
The average score for intent-to-exercise statements such as "I
am determined to exercise/play sport at least three times a week during
the next month" was 4.04 on a scale of I (very unlikely) to 7 (very
likely). For self-esteem statements such as "I feel that I have a
number of good qualities," the average response was 1.56 on a scale
of 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree).
Finally, the average score on the Dermatology Life Quality Index,
which includes 10 items such as, "Over the last week, how much has
your skin affected any social or leisure activities?" was 0.99 on a
scale of 3 (very much) to 0 (not at all).
Statistical analyses of the responses yielded significant negative
relationships between skin-related social anxiety and each of three
variables: intention to exercise, self-esteem, and dermatologic-related
quality of life.
"Participants who experience greater levels of skin-related
social anxiety report lower intention to participate in sport and
exercise, experience lower self-esteem," and have a poorer quality
of life related to skin conditions, Mr. Loney and his associates wrote.
The extent to which people are apprehensive about having their skin
evaluated by others has implications for the intention to participate in
sports and exercise and for self-perception, but more studies are needed
to determine the impact of skin-related social anxiety within specific
sports and exercise settings, they said.
Although the results were limited by the use of a global perception
of acne severity rather than symptom-specific ratings, the data support
findings from previous studies and contribute to the limited field of
research involving both physical and psychological health, Mr. Loney and
his colleagues said. None of the researchers disclosed any conflicts of
interest.
BY HEIDI SPLETE
Senior Writer
COPYRIGHT 2008 International Medical News
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