Body Image and Affective Experiences of Subjectively Underweight Females: Implications for Exercise Behavior

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether subjectively underweight females reported similar psychosocial experiences as women who perceived themselves as being overweight. Twenty-eight college-aged females were assessed via a questionnaire consisting of measures of social physique anxiety, body dissatisfaction, depression proneness, and self-esteem. Similar to previous research completed on college-aged women who perceived themselves as being overweight, females in the present study reported low to moderate degrees of social physique anxiety, body dissatisfaction, depression proneness, and self-esteem. Additionally, higher feelings of physique anxiety were modestly associated with lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of body dissatisfaction and depression. It was concluded that women who perceived themselves as being too thin experienced similar psychosocial issues as women who perceived themselves as being overweight in previous studies.