Physical Measures, Perceived Physical Ability, and Body Acceptance of Adult Psychiatric Patients

The purpose was to examine relationships among physical measures, perceived physical ability, and body acceptance of adult psychiatric patients. The Sonstroem and Morgan Exercise and Self-Esteem Model provided impetus for the research. Participants were 80 women and 86 men (M age = 37, SD = 9.8, range 18–61) hospitalized in Belgium for severe depression or substance abuse. The relationship between perceived physical ability and body acceptance was .40 and .47 for males and females, respectively. Relationships between physical measures and perceived physical ability ranged from -.06 to .54 for women and .10 to .48 for men. Relationships between physical measures and body acceptance ranged from .03 to .37 for females and .07 to .39 for males. Relationships were significant between all components of the Leuven model, which supports the use of psychomotor therapy with psychiatric patients. However, continued research is needed.