Autoconcepto físico según género en funcionarios de una universidad chilena

Physical self-concept is one of the main domains of general self-concept and his research has focused primarily on school and university populations. In order to contribute to the knowledge of physical self-concept in other contexts, the present study aimed to determine the level of physical self-concept in Chilean university employees and to compare its dimensions between men and women employees of a Chilean university. A total of 429 staff members participated (M=40.70; SD=9.71 years), of which 271 were women (M=42.13; SD=9.91 years) and 158 men (41.73±9.38 years). To assess physical self-concept, the Physical Self-Description Questionaries-Short version was applied to assess physical self-concept in online format. The results showed that 41.26% of the participants had a low (11.89%) and medium (29.37%) self-concept. In the comparison according to gender, differences were found in total physical self-concept (p=.013; ε²⁼ .014) and in the dimensions of active life (p<.001; ε²⁼ .036), appearance (p=.029; ε²⁼ .011), (p=.013; ε²⁼ .014), endurance (p<.001; ε²⁼ .048), sport (p<.001; ε²⁼ .080) and strength (p<.001; ε²⁼ .052). Women presented a better self-concept in the appearance dimension and men presented a better self-concept in the other dimensions indicated. Low levels of physical self-concept are observed in both men and women. In general, men have a higher physical self-concept than women. Based on the above, it is recommended to apply physical activity and stress management programs to improve the physical self-concept of university employees.