Social physique anxiety in amateur dancers Associations with body mass index, dance type, and perfectionism
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Within dance and physical education contexts, Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) refers to anxiety related to the perception that one’s body is being evaluated by others and is frequently reported in aesthetic movement contexts such as dance. While SPA has been widely examined in professional dancers, less is known about its associations with psychological and contextual characteristics in amateur dance education settings. The present study investigated associations between SPA and demographic, somatometric, contextual (BMI), and psychological variables in a sample of 422 amateur dancers participating in Greek traditional dance, classical ballet, contemporary, and Latin dance. Data were collected using validated Greek versions of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale–7 and the Short Almost Perfect Scale. Analyses included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical linear regression. Dance type and BMI were significantly associated with SPA, while the inclusion of perfectionism dimensions increased the explained variance. Classical ballet participants reported higher SPA, whereas Greek traditional dancers reported lower levels. Both perfectionism dimensions were strongly associated with SPA. Focusing on amateur dancers across different dance types, this study contributes to the limited literature on social physique anxiety beyond professional dance while highlighting contextual and psychological factors shaping body-related anxiety in amateur dance participation.
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