The mediating role of physical appearance perfectionism in determining the causal relationship between perceived pressures and perception of appearance

Yildizer, Günay (author), Özay-Otgonbayar, Sena (author), Çağlar, Emine (author), Konşuk Ünlü, Hande (author), Dilay Kızılca, Şuheda (author)

This study aimed to examine how perceived pressures impact the perception of appearance, with physical appearance perfectionism acting as a mediator. A total of 310 adults (Mage = 30.69, SD = 10.3 years), including 150 women and 160 men aged 18-60 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. The path analysis was conducted to test the mediating role of physical appearance perfectionism in the relationship between the perception of appearance and perceived pressures related to appearance. We modeled the influence of perceived pressures related to appearance on the perception of appearance through worry about imperfection regarding their physical appearance. The resulting model achieved an excellent fit. The full mediating effect of the worry about imperfection in predicting the perception of appearance with perceived pressures was significant (p < .001). Perceived pressure from peers/significant others and the media positively and significantly predicted the worry about imperfection (path coefficient = 0.277, p < .007; path coefficient = 0.163, p < .00, respectively). The worry about imperfection significantly contributes to the negative perception of appearance (path coefficient = -0.38, p < .001). As a result, worry about imperfection regarding physical appearance was determined as a mediator between perceived pressures related to physical appearance and perception of appearance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, perceived pressure of peers, perceived pressure of significant others, perceived media pressure, physical appearance perfectionism, perception of appearance
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 131-152
• Numbering: Vol. 31, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180537
• UDC: 796.01
• ISSN on article: 2232-4062
• DOI: 10.52165/kinsi.31.2.131-152
• COBISS.SI-ID: 258672387
• Publication date in RUL: 11.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Kinesiologia Slovenica : scientific journal on sport
• Shortened title: Kinesiol. Slov.
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-4062
• COBISS.SI-ID: 257386752

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Posredniška vloga perfekcionizma glede telesnega videza pri določanju vzročne povezave med zaznanimi pritiski in dojemanjem videza

Abstract

Namen te študije je bil preučiti, kako zaznani pritiski vplivajo na dojemanje videza, pri čemer perfekcionizem glede telesnega videza deluje kot mediator. V presečni študiji je sodelovalo 310 odraslih (povprečna starost = 30,69 let, SD = 10,3 let), med njimi 150 žensk in 160 moških, starih med 18 in 60 let. Za preverjanje mediacijske vloge perfekcionizma glede telesnega videza v odnosu med dojemanjem videza in zaznanimi pritiski, povezanimi z videzom, je bila uporabljena analiza poti. Modelirali smo vpliv zaznanih pritiskov, povezanih z videzom, na dojemanje videza prek skrbi zaradi nepopolnosti glede telesnega videza. Dobljeni model se je odlično prilegal podatkom. Popolna mediacijska vloga skrbi zaradi nepopolnosti pri napovedovanju dojemanja videza ob prisotnosti zaznanih pritiskov je bila statistično značilna (p < 0,001). Zaznani pritiski s strani vrstnikov/pomembnih drugih in medijev so pozitivno in statistično značilno napovedovali skrb zaradi nepopolnosti (koeficient poti = 0,277, p < 0,007; koeficient poti = 0,163, p < 0,00). Skrb zaradi nepopolnosti pomembno prispeva k negativnemu dojemanju videza (koeficient poti = -0,38, p < 0,001). Skrb zaradi nepopolnosti glede telesnega videza je tako opredeljena kot mediator med zaznanimi pritiski, povezanimi s telesnim videzom, in dojemanjem videza.

• Keywords: šport, zaznani pritiski vrstnikov, zaznani pritiski pomembnih oseb, zaznani medijski pritiski, perfekcionizem glede telesnega videza, dojemanje videza