Examining the Impact of Social Media Use on Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptomatology Among Adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by significant physical, social, and psychological changes, placing adolescents at risk of developing negative body image, or negative thoughts and feelings about their bodies (Brown & Larson, 2009; Grogan, 2017). Sociocultural theories of body image suggest that media set unrealistic cultural body standards that influence how adolescents feel about their bodies (Thompson et al., 1999; Tiggemann, 2012). Adolescents in the United States report being online “almost constantly” throughout the day, and existing evidence suggests that higher social media use is associated with negative body-related outcomes, particularly for those who engage in appearance-related behaviors on social media (e.g. posting photos; Pew Research Center, 2018; Holland & Tiggemann, 2016; Saiphoo & Vahedi, 2019). The current study examined the impact of emotional investment in social media and photo behaviors on body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology among a sample of adolescents. The study also explored whether adolescent’s levels of self-monitoring (e.g. sensitivity to social cues) and self-perceived gender typicality (e.g. how similar individuals feel to other members of their gender), would place certain adolescents at greater risk of experiencing negative outcomes than their peers (Egan & Perry, 2001; Snyder, 1986).

The sample consisted of ninth grade students (N = 147; Mage = 14.54, SDage = .57) from a public high school located in a rural county in Kentucky (population = 21,521). Within the sample, there were 75 boys, 69 girls, and three students who did not report their gender. Participants completed study measures in the form of a paper survey that took approximately 20 minutes.

Analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls using hierarchical linear regression models in SPSS Version 25. Conditional effects of significant interactions were explored using the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Hayes, 2017). Results indicated a significant interaction between emotional investment and self-perceived gender typicality predicting eating disorder symptomatology among girls. Specifically, higher emotional investment in social media only predicted higher eating disorder symptomatology among girls who felt less typical for their gender than their peers (-1 SD from mean), b = 1.19, p = .001, 95% CI [.50, 1.88], compared to those with average to high (+1 SD from mean) typicality. Results also indicated a significant interaction between emotional investment and self-monitoring predicting eating disorder symptomatology among girls. Specifically, for girls lower in emotional investment in social media than their peers (-1 SD from mean), higher self-monitoring predicted higher eating disorder symptomatology, b = 1.15, p = .007, 95% CI [.33, 1.98]. Girls with average to high (+1 SD from mean) levels of emotional investment in social media reported higher levels of eating disorder symptomatology regardless of their levels of self-monitoring.

Overall, results of the current study suggest that higher emotional investment in social media is associated with higher eating disorder symptomatology among girls. The results also indicate that individual characteristics like self-perceived gender typicality and self-monitoring may place certain adolescents at a greater risk than others for experiencing disordered eating behaviors. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Ilyssa Salomon, Elon University
  Presenting Author

• Christia Spears Brown, University of Kentucky
  Non-Presenting Author