The Moderating Role of Physical Self-Perceptions in the Relationship Between Maturity Status and Physical Self-Worth

Purpose: We tested the moderating role of physical self-perceptions in the relationship between physical maturity and physical self-worth (PSW). Method: Students in Grades 5 through 8 (N = 241; 57% females; M-age = 12.30 years) completed a questionnaire assessing physical self-perceptions (i.e., perceived sport competence, conditioning, strength, and body attractiveness), PSW, and maturity status. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test interactions between maturity and physical self-perceptions predicting PSW separately for boys and girls. Results: For girls, maturity level and physical self-perceptions explained significant variance, F(5, 131) = 73.44, p < .001, R-2 = .74, with interactions explaining a little extra variance, Delta F = 3.42, p = .01, Delta R-2 = .03. Perceived attractiveness interacted with maturity status to predict PSW (p = .01), indicating that maturity was positively related to PSW only for girls with higher body attractiveness. Maturity status and physical self-perceptions also significantly predicted PSW in boys, F(5, 98) = 46.52, p < .001, R-2 = .70, with interactions explaining a little extra variance, Delta F = 3.16, p = .02, Delta R-2 = .04. A statistically significant interaction between perceived strength and maturity (p < .001) indicated that maturity related positively to PSW, but only for boys with higher perceived strength. Conclusions: The maturity-PSW relationship differs by gender and depends partly on physical self-perceptions. This finding reinforces previous findings that illustrate the relative importance of perceived attractiveness and strength for girls and boys, respectively. PSW is an important predictor of physical activity behavior; therefore, it is critical to understand the interplay between these key antecedents.