Perfectionism and body image among young women athletes: a preventative intervention

Abstract

During adolescence, young women athletes may be uniquely vulnerable to body image concerns and maladaptive compensatory behaviours due to the performance and appearance concerns inherent in sports. These risks are often exacerbated by high levels of perfectionism commonly noted among young athletes. The present study investigated how perfectionism influences the effectiveness of a group-based, virtual intervention designed to increase social connectedness and decrease negative body talk among young women athletes. Participants (ages 16-21) were recruited from sports organizations across Ontario and completed measures of perfectionism and body image concerns prior to participating in a dissonance-based prevention program (Youth- Female Athlete Body Project) targeting appearance concerns in sport. Exploratory analyses indicated there were improvements in body image outcomes post-intervention, including decreased fat talk frequency and appearance-ideal internalization, and increased positive body image. Although some perfectionism traits (self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism) were associated with smaller improvements in body image outcomes, these effects were not statistically significant across measures. Somewhat unexpectedly, certain perfectionism traits (worry about imperfection and hope for perfection) were associated with greater improvements in body image outcomes, suggesting that dimensions of perfectionism may influence the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions in different ways. Given the small sample size and a lack of control group, the results should be interpreted with caution. The findings provide preliminary evidence for the complex role of perfectionism in shaping how young athletes respond to body image interventions, with implications for tailoring prevention efforts.