title: Muscular strength is associated with self-esteem in college men but not women.
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.
authors.affiliation: Teachers College Columbia University, USA ciccolo@tc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ciccolo
authors.affiliation: Teachers College Columbia University, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: SantaBarbara
authors.affiliation: The Miriam Hospital, USA.|Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Shira I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Dunsiger
authors.affiliation: The Miriam Hospital, USA.|Brown University, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Bartholomew
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: college students; men’s health; muscular strength; resistance exercise; self-esteem