Term of Award

Spring 2000

Degree Name

Master of Science in Kinesiology

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Department

Department of Kinesiology

Committee Chair

Joanne Chopak

Committee Member 1

Kevin L. Burke

Committee Member 2

A. Barry Joyner

Abstract

The purpose of the this study was to examine the impact the menstrual cycle may have on female athletes' perceptions of their body image and also to examine any differences between sports that emphasize leanness and sports with less emphasis on leanness. The participants in this study included 68 female collegiate athletes from the basketball, soccer, softball, swimming, and volleyball teams at a southeastern university. The participants responded to questionnaires containing a combination of three different surveys and data collection was completed in 35 days. Three out of the four phases (luteal, postmenstrual, and postmenstrual2) reported significant interaction (p<.05) between the ideal and current body image perception across the teams. The athletes on the swimming and softball teams reported a larger difference between their ideal and current body image perception than the athletes on the basketball, soccer, and volleyball teams. For the premenstrual phase, there was a significant difference (p= <.05) between the ideal and current body image perception but no significant difference among the five teams. The data suggest that the female athletes' body image perception was influenced only during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle.

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