Muscular strength is associated with self-esteem in college men but not women

Joseph T. Ciccolo, Nicholas J. Santabarbara, Shira I. Dunsiger, Andrew M. Busch, John B. Bartholomew

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Muscular strength is a well-known predictor of morbidity and mortality. Similarly, self-esteem is a predictor of health and well-being. The relationship between these two variables, however, is currently unknown. This study examined the cross-sectional relationship between maximal muscular strength (i.e. handgrip and one-repetition-maximum (1-RM) squat) and global self-esteem in 126 college students. Significant correlations were found between both measures of muscular strength and self-esteem. Further analyses revealed that these relationships were only significant for men. Based on these results, additional research is needed to further explore the relationship between muscular strength and self-esteem, especially in other demographic groups and longitudinally.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3072-3078
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Health Psychology
Volume21
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Applied Psychology

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