Adolescents’ Social Network Site Use, Peer Appearance-Related Feedback, and Body Dissatisfaction: Testing a Mediation Model

Abstract

Previous correlational research indicates that adolescent girls who use social network sites more frequently are more dissatisfied with their bodies. However, we know little about the causal direction of this relationship, the mechanisms underlying this relationship, and whether this relationship also occurs among boys to the same extent. The present two-wave panel study (18 month time lag) among 604 Dutch adolescents (aged 11–18; 50.7 % female; 97.7 % native Dutch) aimed to fill these gaps in knowledge. Structural equation modeling showed that social network site use predicted increased body dissatisfaction and increased peer influence on body image in the form of receiving peer appearance-related feedback. Peer appearance-related feedback did not predict body dissatisfaction and thus did not mediate the effect of social network site use on body dissatisfaction. Gender did not moderate the findings. Hence, social network sites can play an adverse role in the body image of both adolescent boys and girls.

The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Body Image in Women between the Ages of Thirty and Forty after Beauty Surgeries

“…In such a therapy, at first it is tried to increase individuals' mental acceptance for intellectual experiences (thoughts, feelings) and decrease ineffective control, lead to the ability to control emotions connected to body image, help to increase hopefulness and confidence for well-being. Hence, the identification of psychological components and factors affecting them, and considering them to be the main principles of improving performance in individuals who have had beauty surgery are effective methods (21). The results of this study were in line with other studies based on mindfulness to improving body image (26).…”

“…After examination of available cases, the population of these women was reported to be 300, from whom 30 individuals were selected randomly as volunteers for the research. In the next stage, individuals were divided into two groups: control group (15 individuals) and experiment group (15 individuals) (21).…”

The reciprocal and indirect relationships between passive Facebook use, comparison on Facebook, and adolescents' body dissatisfaction

“…For instance, Hargreaves and Tiggeman (2004) PASSIVE FB USE, COMPARISON ON FB, AND BODY DISSATISFACTION 10 showed that exposure to idealized appearance in mass media was related to increased body dissatisfaction among girls, but not among boys. On the other hand, other studies suggest that gender plays no significant role in the relationships between media use, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction (de Vries, Peter, de Graaf, & Nikken, 2016;Steers, Wickham, & Acitelli, 2014). For instance, de Vries et al (2015) found no support for a moderating role of gender in the association between SNS use and adolescents' body dissatisfaction.…”

Beauty, Body Image, and the Media

“…Indeed, research suggests that the use of social media predicts subsequent body dissatisfaction and not the other way round [33]. It could be, however, that social media users post photos of themselves when they feel especially good about their appearance, but that they end up feeling worse about their appearance in the longer term after frequent use of social media.…”