Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between self-presentational concerns and health-damaging behaviors in sport competition as related to the sport ethic outlined by Hughes and Coakley (1991). Male (n = 358) and female (n = 781) NCAA Division I collegiate athletes from multiple sports completed a series of online surveys which tested self-presentational concerns (SPSQ) and the endorsement of health-damaging behaviors (HDBSQ). Small but significant differences were observed on these surveys across gender. However, the observed differences were not large and the power of the analyses as a consequence of sample size was considerable. In a model adequately accounting for variable covariances, structural equation modeling analyses revealed that worries about appearing athletically untalented were modestly related to the endorsement of health-damaging behaviors during sport competition as they relate to the sport ethic. Worries about performance/composure inadequacies, physical appearance, and appearing fatigued/lethargic were inferentially unrelated to these behaviors. Overall, the findings of the present study support the proposition self-presentational concerns are related to health-damaging behaviors. Further research should be aimed at identifying other variables that account for more variance between self-presentational concerns and health-damaging behaviors in sport, such as, but not limited to, age, type of sport, or specific situations.
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