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学术期刊
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学术著作
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精品图书
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投稿须知
International Medical Research and Translation (IMRT) June 2026, Vol.2, No.3
Body Image Disturbance During the Athletic Retirement Transition: A Narrative Review
Miao Zheng
College of Sports Coaching, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Abstract: Retirement from competitive sport represents a major life transition, accompanied by significant changes in body composition, eating patterns, and physical activity routines. While the psychological challenges of athletic retirement have received considerable attention, body image concerns during this transition remain underexplored. This narrative review synthesises qualitative, quantitative, and longitudinal evidence published between 2000 and 2026 on body image following athletic retirement. Findings indicate that body dissatisfaction is prevalent among retired athletes, often persisting or worsening over the months and years following retirement, independent of objective weight status. Two core mechanisms emerge from the literature: the internalisation of sport-based body surveillance culture, which persists long after retirement as self-monitoring; and the conflict between a changing body and a sustained athletic identity, wherein bodily change is experienced as a loss of self. Protective factors include intuitive eating, the establishment of new life foci, and continued sport participation in non-competitive forms. Critical research gaps remain, particularly the severe underrepresentation of male athletes, the scarcity of prospective longitudinal designs, and the lack of intervention research. The weight stigma framework offers a promising theoretical lens for understanding the mechanistic links between athletic retirement and body image concerns. Practical implications for sport organisations, coaches, and clinicians are discussed. We propose an integrative conceptual framework identifying four interrelated pathways—body regulation culture, internalised surveillance, functional-to-aesthetic body evaluation shift, and the post-retirement weight gain narrative—with dichotomous thinking about food as a key cognitive mediator, and offer testable predictions for future empirical research.
Keywords: body image, body dissatisfaction, athletic retirement, sport transition, weight stigma
