Browsing by Author "Toutounji, Nader"

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    Moderation Effect of Anxiety on the Relationship between Exercise and Self-esteem
    (2017) Toutounji, Nader
    Physical activity has been known to have a positive effect on self-esteem but not enough is known about the mechanism of change. The Exercise-Self-esteem model (EXSEM) postulates that this effect is mediated by physical indices such as physical self-perception and physical self-efficacy. However, there are no studies that include mood variables such as anxiety as possible moderator variables. The aim of this study was to test for a moderation effect of anxiety in the relationship between exercise and self-esteem while controlling for physical indices. One hundred and seventy five Lebanese adults (77 males, 98 females, Mean age: 26.87, Range: 19-35) were asked to complete five valid and reliable tests that measured global self-esteem (GSES), state trait anxiety (STAI), physical self-perception (PSPP), perceived physical ability (PPA) and physical activity (IPAQ). Results showed that men scored higher on all variables except STAI. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the variables predicted 74.1% of the scores on self-esteem with PPA, IPAQ and STAI being the only significant contributors. When STAI was removed from the regression equation the predictive value of PSPP, PPA and IPAQ decreased to 62.5%. These findings indicate that anxiety, as predicted, is a strong moderator between physical activity and global self-esteem and suggest the importance of non-physical factors in explaining the positive effects of physical activity. It seems clear that further research on the efficacy of different types of exercise in promoting self-esteem is called for.