Obligatory exercise and coping in treatment-seeking women with poor body image

Purpose Obligatory exercise is characterized by continued exercise despite negative consequences, and intense negative affect when unable to exercise. Research suggests psychosocial differences between individuals that exercise in an obligatory manner and those that do not. It also has been speculated that obligatory exercise may serve coping and affect regulation functions, yet these factors have not been routinely examined in community women with poor body image. The purpose of the current study was to investigate psychosocial differences between obligatory and non-obligatory exercisers, and to examine the use of obligatory exercise as an avoidant coping strategy in a sample of women with poor body image.