Abstract
Physical competence, comprising athletic competence and physical appearance competence, is positively related to feelings of self-worth in adolescent girls. This study compared the relationships of psychological, physiological, and maturational constructs with perceived physical competence in adolescent girls. Perceived physical appearance and perceived athletic competence, peer acceptance, body weight, body mass index (BMI), aerobic fitness (VO2max), physical activity level, and menarcheal status were assessed. Global self-worth was highly correlated with peer acceptance, perceived physical appearance, and perceived athletic competence in this sample. Regression analyses indicated that peer acceptance was the best predictor of perceived physical competence. Additional predictors of perceived physical appearance and athletic competence are discussed. Results suggest that postmenarcheal and larger girls may be at risk for low perceptions of physical competence. Enhancing competence feelings among adolescent girls may be accomplished by emphasizing friendship and social interaction within physical activity.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Allor, K. M., and Pivarnik, J. M. (2001). Stability and convergent validity of three physical activity assessments. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 33: 671–676.
Alsaker, F. D. (1992). Pubertal timing, overweight, and psychological adjustment. J. Early Adolesc. 12: 396–419.
Boyd, K. R., and Hrycaiko, D. W. (1997). The effect of a physical activity intervention package on the self-esteem of pre-adolescent and adolescent females. Adolescence 32: 693–708.
Brooks-Gunn, J. (1988). Antecedents and consequences of variations in girls' maturational timing. J. Adolesc. Health 9: 365–373.
Brown, K. M., McMahon, R. P., Biro, F. M., Crawford, P., Schreiber, G. B., Similo, S. L., Waclawiw, M., and Striegel-Moore, R. (1998). Changes in self-esteem in black and white girls between the ages of 9 and 14 years. J. Adolesc. Health 23: 7–19.
Brustad, R. J. (1993). Who will go out and play? Parental and psychological influences on children's attraction to physical activity. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 5: 210–223.
Brustad, R. J. (1996). Attraction to physical activity in urban schoolchildren: Parental socialization and gender influences. Res. Q. Exerc. Sport 67: 316–323.
Brustad, R. J., Babkes, M. L., and Smith, A. L. (1993). Youth in sport: Psychological considerations. In Singer, R. N., Murphey, M., and Tennant, L. K. (eds.), Handbook of Research on Sport Psychology. McMillan, New York, pp. 604–635.
Covey, L. A., and Feltz, D. L. (1991). Physical activity and adolescent female psychological development. J. Youth Adolesc. 20: 463–474.
Crocker, P. R. E., Eklund, R. C., and Kowalski, K. C. (2000). Children's physical activity and physical self-perceptions. J. Sports Sci. 18: 383–394.
Ebbeck, V., and Weiss, M. R. (1998). Determinants of children's self-esteem: An examination of perceived competence and affect in sport. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 10: 285–298.
Feltz, D. L., and Petlichkoff, L. (1983). Perceived competence among interscholastic sport participants and dropouts. Can. J. Appl. Sport Sci. 8: 231–235.
Folk, L., Pedersen, J., and Cullari, S. (1993). Body satisfaction and self-concept of third and sixth-grade students. Percept. Mot. Skills 76: 547–553.
Greene, J. C., and Ignico, A. A. (1995). The effect of a ten-week physical fitness program on fitness profiles, self-concept, and body-esteem in children. J. Int. Counc. Health, Phys. Educ. Rec. Sport Dance 31: 42–47.
Guinn, B., Semper, T., and Jorgensen, L. (1997). Mexican American female adolescent self-esteem: The effect of body image, exercise behavior, and body fatness. Hisp. J. Behav. Sci. 19: 517–526.
Harter, S. (1978). Effectance motivation reconsidered. Hum. Dev. 21: 34–64.
Harter, S. (1981). A model of intrinsic mastery motivation in children: Individual differences and developmental change. In Collins, W. A. (ed.), Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
Harter, S. (1982). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Dev. 53: 87–97.
Harter, S. (1986). Processes underlying the construction, maintenance, and enhancement of the self-concept in children. In Suls, J., and Greenwald, A. G. (eds.), Psychological Perspectives on the Self: (Vol. 3) Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
Harter, S. (1987). The determinants and mediational role of global self-worth in children. In Eisenberg, N. (ed.), Contemporary topics in developmental psychology. Wiley, New York.
Harter, S. (1988). Manual for the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S. (1999). The Construction of Self: A Developmental Perspective. Guilford Press, New York.
Herman-Tofler, L. R., and Tuckman, B. W. (1998). The effects of aerobic training on children's creativity, self-perception, and aerobic power. Sport Psychiatr. 7: 773–790.
Horn, T. S. and Hasbrook, C. A. (1987). Psychological characteristics and the criteria children use for self-evaluation. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 9: 208–221.
Horn, T. S., Lox, C., and Labrador, F. (1998). The self-fulfilling prophecy theory: When coaches' expectations become reality. In Williams, J. (ed.), Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance. Mayfield, Mountain View, CA, pp. 74–91.
Horn, T. S., and Weiss, M. R. (1991). A developmental analysis of children's self-ability judgments in the physical domain. Pediatr. Exerc. Sci. 3: 310–326.
Katch, V. L. (1983). Physical conditioning of children. J. Adolesc. Health Care 3: 241–246.
Kolody, B., and Sallis, J. F. (1995). A prospective study of ponderosity, body image, self-concept, and psychological variables in children. Dev. Behav. Pediatr. 16: 1–5.
Maffeis, C., Pinelli, L., Zaffanello, M., Schena, F., Iacumin, P., and Schutz, Y. (1995). Daily enery expenditure in free-living conditions in obese and non-obese children: Comparison of doubly labeled water (2H2 18O) method and heart-rate monitoring. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 19: 671–677.
Malina, R. M. (1983). Menarche in athletes: A synthesis and hypothesis. Ann. Hum. Biol. 10: 1–24.
Malina, R. M. (1990). From childhood to adolescence: A transitional period? In Montemaytor, R., Adams, G. R., and Gullotta, T. P. (eds.), Advances in Adolescent Development. Sage, Newbury Park, CA, pp. 41–62.
Malina, R. M. (1994). Physical growth and biological maturation of young athletes. In Holloszy, J. O. (ed.), Exercise and Sport Science Reviews. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD, pp. 388–433.
Malina, R. M. (1996). The young athlete: Biological growth and maturation in a biocultural context. In Smoll, F. L., and Smith, R. E. (eds.), Children and Youth in Sport: A Biopsychosocial Perspective. Brown and Benchmark, Chicago, IL, pp. 161–186.
Mandigout, S., Lecoq, A. M., Courteix, D., Guenon, P., and Obert, P. (2001). Effect of gender in response to an aerobic training programme in prepubertal children. Acta Paediatr. 90: 9–15.
McGuire, S., Manke, B., Saudino, K. J., Reiss, D., Hetherington, E. M., and Plomin, R. (1999). Perceived competence and self-worth during adolescence: A longitudinal behavioral genetic study. Child Dev. 70: 1283–1296.
O'Dea, J. A., and Abraham, S. (1999). Association between self-concept and body weight, gender, and pubertal development among male and female adolescents. Adolescence 34: 69–79.
Phillips, R. G., and Hill, A. J. (1998). Fat, plain, but not friendless: Self-esteem and peer acceptance of obese pre-adolescent girls. Int. J. Obes. 22: 287–293.
Pope, A., McHale, S., and Craighead, W. (1988). Self-Esteem Enhancement with Children and Adolescents. Pergamon, Elmsford, NY.
Seigel, J. M., Yancey, A. K., Aneshensel, C. S., and Schuler, R. (1999). Body image, perceived pubertal timing, and adolescent mental health. J. Adolesc. Health 25: 155–165.
Smith, A. (1999). Perceptions of peer relationships and physical activity participation in early adolescence. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 21: 329–350.
Stein, K. R., and Hedger, K. M. (1997). Body weight and shape self-cognitions, emotional distress, and disordered eating in middle adolescent girls. Arch. Psychiatr. Nurs. 11: 264–275.
Strauss, R. S., Rodzilsky, D., Burach, G., and Colin, M. (2001). Psychosocial correlates of physical activity in healthy children. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 155: 897–902.
Trent, L. M., Cooney, G., Russell, G., and Warton, P. M. (1996). Significant others' contribution to early adolescents' perceptions of their competence. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 66: 95–107.
Trew, K., Scully, D., Kremer, J., and Ogle, S. (1999). Sport, leisure and perceived self-competence among male and female adolescents. Eur. Phys. Educ. Rev. 5: 53–73.
Weiss, M. R., and Duncan, S. C. (1992). The relationship between physical competence and peer acceptance in the context of children's sports participation. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 14: 177–191.
Weiss, M. R., Ebbeck, B., and Horn, T. S. (1997). Children's self-perceptions and sources of competence information: A cluster analysis. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 19: 52–70.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Craft, L.L., Pfeiffer, K.A. & Pivarnik, J.M. Predictors of Physical Competence in Adolescent Girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 32, 431–438 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025986318306
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025986318306