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Exercise Addiction in Long Distance Runners

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Abstract

Exercise addiction is a complex construct that examines maladaptive patterns relative to exercise behavior. This phenomenon, though not clinically recognized as a disorder, describes a condition where an individual has a compulsion to exercise excessively, often causing detriments to his or her physical and psychological wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to identify which psychosocial and behavioral factors are best able to predict exercise addiction in long-distance runners. Two hundred forty-eight self-identified runners at least 18 years of age participated in the study. Each subject completed an online survey that included questions referring to demographics, training history, the 10-item Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), and the 11-item Running Addiction Scale (RAS). Multiple linear regression was used to predict the relationship between several variables to the overall RAS score. The significant predictor variables were the AIMS score (p < 0.01), the number of runs taken per week (p < 0.001), and the number of injuries in the previous 2 years (p < 0.05). The best prediction equation was RAS = 36.99 + (0.13 × AIMS score) + (1.14 × runs per week) − (0.17 × body mass index) − (0.21 × number of years running) + (0.93 × number of injuries). This study shows that higher scores on the RAS were associated with a greater identity as an athlete, more injuries and runs per week. Although not statistically significant, body mass index (p = 0.084) and the number of years running (p = 0.098) were both negatively related to the RAS score, indicating the need for a larger and more diverse sample of self-identified runners to explore the relationship between running addiction and other participant characteristics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Performance & Health Education, Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA

    Rachel M. Maceri & Nicholas J. Hanson

  2. Department of Kinesiology & Sports Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Nicholas P. Cherup

  3. Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Janet Buckworth

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  1. Rachel M. Maceri
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  2. Nicholas P. Cherup
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  3. Janet Buckworth
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  4. Nicholas J. Hanson
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Correspondence to Rachel M. Maceri.

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No funding was provided for this study. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare.

Human Subjects

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Maceri, R.M., Cherup, N.P., Buckworth, J. et al. Exercise Addiction in Long Distance Runners. Int J Ment Health Addiction 19, 62–71 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00122-0

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