The association between social media addiction and eating disturbances is mediated by muscle dysmorphia-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study in a sample of young adults

Abstract

Purpose Although the association between problematic use of the internet and eating disorders (EDs) in young adults has been previously established, its underlying mechanisms have not been completely clarified. It has been suggested that exposure to idealized very thin and toned body images (e.g., “thinspiration” and “fitspiration” trends) on social media might lead to increased feelings of body dissatisfaction which, in turn, can represent a trigger for EDs. We have tested this hypothesis in a sample (N = 721) of young adults (504 females, mean age: 24.13 ± 3.70 years; range 18–34). Methods Self-report measures investigating symptoms related to social media addiction (SMA), muscle dysmorphia (MD), and EDs were used. A mediational model analyzing the direct and indirect effects of SMA-related symptoms on ED-related symptoms through the mediating role of MD-related symptoms was performed controlling for confounding factors (e.g., socio-demographic variables, substances use, body mass index, psychopathological distress). Results The model showed that the total effect of SMA-related symptoms on ED-related symptoms was significant (B = 0.213; p = 0.022) and that this association was mediated by MD-related symptoms (B = 0.083; p = 0.021). Discussion Our findings support the possibility that MD-related symptoms play a relevant role in mediating the association between SMA severity and ED pathology. Level of evidence Level III, evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies.

The association of problematic use of social media and online videogames with aggression is mediated by insomnia severity: A cross‐sectional study in a sample of 18‐ to 24‐year‐old individuals

“…Relatedly, results showed that BMI was negatively correlated with SMA-related symptoms and positively correlated with IGD-related symptoms (Table S2), supporting previous studies in which different effects on eating behavior were observed in relation to SM and OVG use: problematic videogaming has been associated with sedentarism and junk food use (Hinojo-Lucena et al, 2019;Kracht et al, 2020), while problematic SM use has been associated with increased preoccupation over physical appearance (Cataldo et al, 2021;Imperatori et al, 2021).…”

“…Further, the focus of the present research was specific on SMA‐ and IGD‐related symptoms and thus the findings do not apply to different types of PUI; as already mentioned, in fact, this is relevant as PUI is a wide‐ranging construct including heterogeneous phenomena (Brand et al, 2016; Fineberg et al, 2018; Griffiths & Pontes, 2014). Relatedly, results showed that BMI was negatively correlated with SMA‐related symptoms and positively correlated with IGD‐related symptoms (Table S2), supporting previous studies in which different effects on eating behavior were observed in relation to SM and OVG use: problematic videogaming has been associated with sedentarism and junk food use (Hinojo‐Lucena et al, 2019; Kracht et al, 2020), while problematic SM use has been associated with increased preoccupation over physical appearance (Cataldo et al, 2021; Imperatori et al, 2021).…”

“…Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Board of the Department of Human Neurosciences of the Sapienza University of Rome in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study is part of a larger project on the relationship between psychopathology and addictions, thus the included sample partially overlaps with the sample presented in previous studies by our research group (Imperatori et al, 2020(Imperatori et al, , 2021.…”

Decreased Resting State Inter- and Intra-Network Functional Connectivity Is Associated with Perceived Stress in a Sample of University Students: An eLORETA Study

“…Furthermore, it provides a global severity index (GSI) that is considered to reflect the general level of psychopathology. In accordance with both previous recommendations [44] and reports [45][46][47], the cutoff point score of 63 T (on the GSI or in two psychopathological dimensions) has been used to identify individuals with a significant level of psychopathology (i.e., BSI cutoff). In the present research, a validated Italian version of BSI has been used [48], and in the current sample, the internal consistency was adequate for the BSI total score (i.e., Cronbach's alpha = 0.97).…”

Factor structure and interpretation on the Thai-Social Media Engagement Scale (T-SMES)

“…According to the data above, those who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to participate in excessive use, which can lead to behavioral and mental health problems. In the literature, excessive use of social media has been associated with decreased sleep quality, daily cognitive failures, eating problems as a result of a preoccupation with physical appearance and muscularity, and negative emotions including depression and anxiety (Xanidis and Brignell, 2016;Nguyen et al, 2020;Vidal et al, 2020;Imperatori et al, 2021;Skogen et al, 2021). The empirical evidence also suggested clinical symptom arisen from an excessive use of social media, predominantly rely on the clinical criteria of Substance-Related Addictions and Internet Gaming Disorder in DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013;Tutgun-Ünal and Deniz, 2015;Regina et al, 2016;Shahnawaz and Rehman, 2020).…”