The Effects of Participation in Regular Exercise on Self-Esteem and Hopelessness of Female University Students

Abstract

I investigated the effects of participation in regular exercise for 12 weeks on self-esteem and hopelessness of female students at a Turkish university. Participants were 80 women who were randomly assigned to experiment and control groups. Rosenberg Self-Esteem and Beck Hopelessness Scales were completed and participants in the experiment group improved in level of self-esteem whereas there was no significant change in the level of self-esteem of the control group. Moreover, results showed a significant reduction in the hopelessness level of the participants in the experiment group but there was no significant change in level of hopelessness with the control group. A regular exercise program was found to be an impacting variable in improving self-esteem and decreasing hopelessness level of female university students in Turkey.