A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation

We wish to thank this contributor for sharing their comments regarding our study: “A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation” [4]. This study provides preliminary evidence that self-presentational concerns exist for women in the context of injury rehabilitation, and it is our hope that it provides a foundation for research advancement in this area. For example, given that research in exercise has demonstrated that SPA may fluctuate with the situation [1], experimentally designed studies are necessary to evaluate how patients’ state-specific SPA is influenced by elements of the rehabilitation environment. Also, the development of a psychometrically sound tool to evaluate self-presentational concerns similar to that used in sport (Self-Presentation in Sport Questionnaire [2]) and exercise (Self-Presentation in Exercise Questionnaire [3]) would be of value to researchers. A pilot instrument was created as part of our study, but its validity and reliability has yet to be established. Most importantly, however, is that despite the potential for reduced adherence to rehabilitation expressed by the women in this sample, empirical examinations to this effect have yet to be conducted. Thus, while we believe our paper highlights several promising avenues for future investigation, we do encourage that practitioners use caution in modifying their practice based on such a small body of literature. While it seems reasonable to consider altering existing rehabilitation environments, the feasibility and implications of doing so must first be assessed. Conflict of interest: None declared.

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4. Driediger, M.V., McKay, C.D., Hall, C.R., and Echlin, P.S. A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation. Physiotherapy. 2016; 102: 371–376 View in Article | Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (2) | Google Scholar

A qualitative examination of women’s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation