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Impact of social media on self-esteem and body image among young adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

R. Molina Ruiz ,
I. Alfonso-Fuertes  and
S. González Vives
R. Molina Ruiz*
Affiliation:
Hospital clínico san carlos, Psychiatry, Madrid, Spain
I. Alfonso-Fuertes
Affiliation:
Comillas University, Psychology, Madrid, Spain
S. González Vives
Affiliation:
Hospital clínico san carlos, Psychiatry, Madrid, Spain
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The extent to which social media contributes to body image dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem is currently under debate

Objectives

This research seeks to study the relationship between the use of Instagram (one of the main platforms used by young people nowadays) and the degree of dissatisfaction with body image and the level of self-esteem among their younger users

Methods

A sample of 585 Spanish adults between 18 and 40 years old was used, to whom the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Social Comparison of Appearance Scale (PACS) were applied.

Results

A positive correlation was observed between the frequency of use of the social network and dissatisfaction with body image and low self-esteem. In addition, it was found that content observation time significantly predicts body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. On the other hand, the type of content both published and observed, showed no effect on any of these variables, although it has been found that the relationship between the use of the platform and the study variables seems to be mediated by the tendency of their users to compare their appearance with others.

Conclusions

These results invite us to reflect on the use of social networks and their impact on constructs as relevant to the person as self-esteem and body image and on how different policies should be taken into account to prevent a negative impact on the mental health of their users

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

self esteemsocial mediabody imageInstagram
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S585
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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