Analyzing the effects of body image on college students’ self-esteem, exercise flow, and psychological well-being

Abstract

The present study was conducted for the purposes of analyzing how college students' perceived body image, who are engaged in sports activities, influences self-esteem, exercise flow, and psychological well-being and examining their correlations. Furthermore, this study intends to contribute to the sports industry by providing objective evidence of how being engaged in sports activities actually facilitate self-esteem and psychological well-being. A questionnaire survey was created to collect data based on the question items used in the previous studies. A total of 280 questionnaires were distributed to college students who had experience participating in sports activities or are currently participating. Eliminating incomplete questionnaires, 256 questionnaires were analyzed. Frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were carried out. The results are as follows: 1) Perceived body image of college students involved in sports activities positively affects psychological well-being. 2) Perceived body image has a positive effect on self-esteem, 3) Perceived body image positively influences exercise flow, 4) Self-esteem has a positive impact on exercise flow, and 5) Self-esteem shows a positive effect on psychological well-being. To confirm the physical and psychological effects of being engaged in sports activities, more elaborate research models are required to explore and explain deeper relations between the variables of this study.