Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07408752

Residual Athletic Identity, Body Image, and Emotional Symptoms in Retired Rhythmic Gymnasts

Background. Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport characterized by high physical and aesthetic demands and typically early competitive retirement. In this context, athletic identity and body image play a central role during the athletic career and may be compromised after retirement, particularly in aesthetic disciplines. However, the relationship between these constructs in retired rhythmic gymnasts has been scarcely investigated.

Objective. To analyze the relationship between athletic identity and body image in retired rhythmic gymnasts, in order to better understand the psychosocial factors influencing post-retirement adaptation.

Methods. An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study will be conducted using a self-administered online survey targeting retired rhythmic gymnasts aged ≥18 years. The primary study variables will be positive body image and residual athletic identity. Additional independent and predictive variables will include sociodemographic characteristics and sport career-related factors (age, age at initiation in rhythmic gymnastics, duration of the athletic career, highest competitive level achieved, and satisfaction with the athletic career). A set of potential confounding or moderating variables will also be considered (time since retirement and type of sport retirement). Statistical analyses will include descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multiple linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders.

Expected results. An association between residual athletic identity and body image after sport retirement is expected, moderated by time since retirement and type of retirement, with implications for identifying profiles of greater vulnerability and informing the design of preventive interventions.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Retirement Behavior Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Are aged ≥18 years.
  • Are female.
  • Have practiced rhythmic gymnastics during their competitive stage at any competitive level.
  • Are retired from competitive practice at the time of participation.
  • Are able to report the time elapsed since retirement and the type of retirement (voluntary or involuntary).
  • Agree to participate by providing informed consent and completing the online survey.

Exclusion criteria

  • Are not truly retired (i.e., maintain active competitive participation at the time of the study).
  • Have a time since retirement greater than 5 years.
  • Have incomplete questionnaires for variables essential to the analysis.
  • Provide clearly inconsistent or implausible responses in key variables (e.g., evident incompatibilities between age, age at initiation, and career duration) that preclude valid interpretation of the data.

Treatment and study plan

Adult retired rhythmic gymnasts

Other

Adult retired rhythmic gymnasts who have completed their competitive athletic careers, regardless of the time elapsed since retirement and whether retirement was voluntary or involuntary.

Primary outcomes

  1. Measurement of body image

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable will be assessed using the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), a validated questionnaire that measures appreciation of and a positive relationship with one's body at the present time. The scale consists of 10 items with Likert-type response options. The total score will be calculated as the sum or mean of the items, with higher values indicating greater body appreciation.

  2. Measurement of residual athletic identity

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable will be assessed using the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS-E), a widely used instrument to measure the extent to which athletic identity remains central to the self-concept after sport retirement. The scale provides a total score (and subscale scores, depending on the version used), with higher values reflecting greater residual athletic identity.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Measurement of age

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered an independent and predictive factor, will be recorded in years.

  2. Measurement of age at initiation in rhythmic gymnastics

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered an independent and predictive factor, will be recorded in years.

  3. Measurement of athletic career duration

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered an independent and predictive factor, will be recorded in years from the onset of competitive practice until retirement.

  4. Measurement of highest competitive level achieved

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered an independent and predictive factor, will be recorded as an ordinal categorical variable classified as regional, national, or international.

  5. Measurement of satisfaction with the athletic career

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered an independent and predictive factor, will be assessed using a Likert-type scale, with higher scores indicating greater overall satisfaction with the athletic career.

Other outcomes

  1. Measurement of time since retirement

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered potentially confounding or moderating due to its possible effect on both residual athletic identity and body image, will be recorded in years.

  2. Measurement of type of sport retirement

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered potentially confounding or moderating due to its possible effect on both residual athletic identity and body image, will be recorded as a dichotomous qualitative variable categorized as voluntary retirement or involuntary retirement (due to injury or other reasons).

  3. Measurement of anxiety

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered potentially confounding or moderating due to its possible effect on both residual athletic identity and body image, will be assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). This instrument consists of two independent subscales measuring state anxiety, understood as a transient emotional condition, and trait anxiety, reflecting a stable tendency to experience anxiety. Each subscale provides a total score, with higher values indicating greater anxiety levels.

  4. Measurement of depressive symptoms

    Time frame: Screening visit

    This variable, considered potentially confounding or moderating due to its possible effect on both residual athletic identity and body image, will be assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). This questionnaire measures the severity of depressive symptomatology in adult populations and provides a total score reflecting symptom intensity, with higher scores indicating greater severity.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Rubén Cuesta-Barriuso, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

0034 985103386

Rubén Cuesta-Barriuso, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Oviedo

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Residual Athletic Identity, Body Image, and Emotional Symptoms in Retired Rhythmic Gymnasts: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 13, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.