Investigation of the relationship between leisure time management and social appearance anxiety levels of women taking pilates classes

This study aims to examine the relationship between leisure time management and social appearance anxiety levels of women taking pilates classes, by demographic variables. The study group was composed of 608 female participants over the age of 18 who took pilates classes in different sports centers in the city of Erzurum. The "Personal Information Form", "Leisure Time Management Scale", and "Social Appearance Anxiety Level Scale" developed by the researcher to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants were used in data collection. SPSS 25.0 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) software was utilized in analyzing the data. In the analyses, descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency (f) and percentage (%) distribution by variables such as age, profession, income level, and the duration of pilates exercise. Additionally, independent samples t-test analysis and one-way analysis of variance were used to determine if there was a statistically significant difference, and a Pearson Correlation analysis was used to determine if there was a significant relationship. According to the study results, no significant relationship was found between the monthly income status variable and the leisure time management sub-dimensions and total mean scores (p>.05). There was no significant difference between the marital status variable and leisure time management sub-dimensions and total mean scores (p>.05). A negative and low level significant correlation was found between the monthly income status variable and the social appearance anxiety score of the participants (p<.05). A significant difference was found between the participants' educational status variable and social appearance anxiety mean scores (p<.05). According to the Post Hoc (SCHEFFE) results performed to determine the source of the difference, it was determined that the mean scores of those with primary-secondary and high school education status were significantly higher than the mean scores of those with an associate or postgraduate degree. According to the results of the correlation analysis between participants' leisure time management sub-dimensions, the total mean score and the social appearance anxiety score, a negative low level significant relationship was found between the total scores of goal setting and method, evaluation, leisure attitude, and leisure time management scale scores and social appearance anxiety scores while a positive low level significant relationship was found with planning and social appearance (p<.05). As a result, it was determined that the level of social appearance anxiety decreased in the women who took pilates classes as they managed their leisure time in a right, efficient, and effective manner. Keywords: Women taking pilates classes, Leisure time management, Social appearance anxiety.