When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes
Objective This study examines the relationship between the risk of exercise addiction and psychological factors like anxiety, depression, self-esteem and sleep quality in athletes.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore between August and November 2023, involving 282 athletes from...
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| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/3/e002630.full |
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| author | Arsalan Tariq Abdul Saad |
| author_facet | Arsalan Tariq Abdul Saad |
| author_sort | Arsalan Tariq |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective This study examines the relationship between the risk of exercise addiction and psychological factors like anxiety, depression, self-esteem and sleep quality in athletes.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore between August and November 2023, involving 282 athletes from five gyms engaged in bodybuilding, powerlifting or strength training. The study explored the relationship between exercise addiction risk and psychological factors, including anxiety, depression, body image distress, self-esteem, stress, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and sleep quality. Participants met specific inclusion criteria related to training frequency, duration and mental health status. Standardised questionnaires, including the Exercise Addiction Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Body Shape Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Perceived Stress Scale, were used for data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS (V.24) with descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression.Results 267 completed the study. The majority were male (85.4%), with bodybuilding (50.2%) being the most common type of training. Participants reported high levels of psychological distress, including anxiety, body image concerns and stress. Exercise addiction risk was significantly associated with body image distress (r=0.45), anxiety (r=0.42) and stress (r=0.40), while self-esteem showed a negative correlation (r= –0.36). Hierarchical regression showed psychological factors accounted for 51% of the variance in addiction risk, with body image distress and anxiety being the strongest predictors. Bodybuilders and males reported significantly higher addiction risk scores compared with other groups.Conclusion Body image dissatisfaction, anxiety and stress are significant risk factors for exercise addiction, often reflecting emotional coping over performance goals. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d9bb19f990e4fb6ae2fd965e8c9350c |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2055-7647 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d9bb19f990e4fb6ae2fd965e8c9350c2025-07-28T01:10:12ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine2055-76472025-07-0111310.1136/bmjsem-2025-002630When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletesArsalan Tariq0Abdul Saad11 University Institute of Physical Therapy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, PakistanUniversity Institute of Physical Therapy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Punjab, PakistanObjective This study examines the relationship between the risk of exercise addiction and psychological factors like anxiety, depression, self-esteem and sleep quality in athletes.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore between August and November 2023, involving 282 athletes from five gyms engaged in bodybuilding, powerlifting or strength training. The study explored the relationship between exercise addiction risk and psychological factors, including anxiety, depression, body image distress, self-esteem, stress, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and sleep quality. Participants met specific inclusion criteria related to training frequency, duration and mental health status. Standardised questionnaires, including the Exercise Addiction Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Body Shape Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Perceived Stress Scale, were used for data collection. Data were analysed using SPSS (V.24) with descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlations and hierarchical multiple regression.Results 267 completed the study. The majority were male (85.4%), with bodybuilding (50.2%) being the most common type of training. Participants reported high levels of psychological distress, including anxiety, body image concerns and stress. Exercise addiction risk was significantly associated with body image distress (r=0.45), anxiety (r=0.42) and stress (r=0.40), while self-esteem showed a negative correlation (r= –0.36). Hierarchical regression showed psychological factors accounted for 51% of the variance in addiction risk, with body image distress and anxiety being the strongest predictors. Bodybuilders and males reported significantly higher addiction risk scores compared with other groups.Conclusion Body image dissatisfaction, anxiety and stress are significant risk factors for exercise addiction, often reflecting emotional coping over performance goals.https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/3/e002630.full |
| spellingShingle | Arsalan Tariq Abdul Saad When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| title | When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| title_full | When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| title_fullStr | When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| title_short | When fitness becomes an obsession: a cross-sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| title_sort | when fitness becomes an obsession a cross sectional study investigating the risk of exercise addiction among athletes |
| url | https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/11/3/e002630.full |
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