Impact of Attachment on the Relationship Between Emotion-Regulation , Body Satisfaction , and Compulsive Exercise in Female College Athletes

Guided by attachment theory and social comparison theory , this study examines the impact of attachment on the relationship between emotion regulation , body satisfaction , and compulsive exercise in female college athletes. According to which team the individual was a member of , the 118 participants were grouped into either aesthetic sport participating (e.g. cheerleading , cross country) or non-aesthetic sport participating (e.g. softball , basketball). Analyses revealed that emotion regulation scores moderated the relationship between attachment and body satisfaction scores. Body satisfaction was significantly , negatively correlated with compulsive exercise scores indicating that the higher an individual's body satisfaction , the lower their compulsive exercise score. Despite predictions , there were no significant differences between aesthetic sport participating athletes and non-aesthetic sport participating athletes , which further emphasizes the importance of the role of attachment and emotion regulation on body satisfaction scores in female athletes. This research provides salient implications for college athletes , college coaches , athletic training staff members , and parents of athletes. Suggestions for practice and future research are presented in the discussion