Browsing by Subject "yksilölliset tekijät"

Physical activity is beneficial for health and it has an important role in preventing several diseases. However, physical activity may in some cases become an addiction and cause physical, psychological and social harm to an individual. The purpose of this literature review was to consider individual and psychosocial factors that associate with exercise dependence, and possible causes and mechanisms of exercise dependence. Regarding temperament and personality traits, high extraversion, neuroticism, harm avoidance and persistence, and low self-directedness and cooperativeness are positively associated with exercise dependence. The results concerning neuroticism are not, however, perfectly consistent. Also different combinations of traits and behavioral dispositions such as perfectionism and narcissism are related to exercise dependence. Strong exercise identity and beliefs of physical inactivity’s harmfulness are also associated with exercise dependence. Regarding psychosocial factors, specific anxiety factors such as health anxiety and anxiety over one’s physical appearance, as well as eating disorder are associated with exercise dependence. Individual and psychosocial factors may be associated with exercise dependence through a variety of mechanisms. Exercise can help in managing stress, or it may fulfill a person’s needs for excitement, activity and competition. Perfectionistic traits may be associated with exercise dependence through accomplishments gained through exercise. In future research, it would be useful to focus on developing congruent definition for exercise dependence in order to improve the measurability of the phenomenon. It would be important to perform the studies within different populations, such as among people who practice different sports. Also experimental and longitudinal studies are needed. Identifying individual and psychosocial factors that contribute to the development of exercise dependence may help in recognizing and intervening in the problem. For instance, recognition of factors that affect exercise dependence may help in preventing overstraining conditions and injury progression to chronicity. Identifying factors that contribute to exercise dependence may also assist in preventing psychological and social problems, such as family- and work-related ones.