Journal article 895 views 55 downloads
Self-esteem, but not age, moderates the influence of viewing social media on body image in adult females.
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Aimee E. Pink ,
Vasiliki Anagnostopoulou,
Liam Branford,
Casey Fleming,
Grace Jenkins,
Lowri Jones,
Chloe Lovesey,
Aadil Mehta,
Jennifer Gatzemeier
Psychology of Popular Media, Volume: 13, Issue: 3, Pages: 439 - 446
Swansea University Authors:
Menna Price , Aimee E. Pink , Vasiliki Anagnostopoulou, Liam Branford, Casey Fleming, Grace Jenkins, Chloe Lovesey, Aadil Mehta, Jennifer Gatzemeier
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DOI (Published version): 10.1037/ppm0000493
Abstract
Viewing “thin-ideal” images on social media has been associated with reduced body image (BI) in females, however much evidence is correlational, based on young student samples and/or lacks robust controls. Furthermore, the moderating role of individual differences has not been examined. This study a...
| Published in: | Psychology of Popular Media |
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| ISSN: | 2689-6567 2689-6575 |
| Published: |
American Psychological Association (APA)
2024
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64054 |
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| Abstract: |
Viewing “thin-ideal” images on social media has been associated with reduced body image (BI) in females, however much evidence is correlational, based on young student samples and/or lacks robust controls. Furthermore, the moderating role of individual differences has not been examined. This study aimed to investigate the impact of viewing Instagram-like “thin-ideal” and “average” BIs on BI in females and the moderating roles of self-esteem and age. A sample of 690 adult females aged 18–60 years (M [SD] = 36.95 [12.34]) with wide-ranging body mass index (BMI = 16.90–62.10; M [SD] = 31.28 [8.12]) were randomly assigned to one of four image conditions (“thin-ideal,” “average,” holiday-scenery, or stationery). BI was measured before and after viewing images, followed by a measure of self-esteem. Results showed a significant decrease in BI after viewing the “thin-ideal” versus “average” and control images (p < .0001). Self-esteem (but not age) moderated this effect (p = .036). Self-esteem made no difference to the negative effects of viewing “thin-ideal” images, however, individuals with lower self-esteem showed a significantly greater increase in BI after viewing “average” images versus participants with higher self-esteem. Results suggest that females of all ages with low self-esteem could benefit from initiatives such as the body positivity movement on Instagram. |
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| Keywords: |
Body image, Instagram, thin-ideal, self-esteem, age |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Issue: |
3 |
| Start Page: |
439 |
| End Page: |
446 |