Objectified Body Consciousness, Body Image Control in Photos, and Problematic Social Networking: The Role of Appearance Control Beliefs

Boursier, Valentina; Gioia, Francesca; Griffiths, Mark D.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00147

Cited by 63 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 104 publications

(199 reference statements)

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“…This isolation has probably reinforced subjective feelings of loneliness in both older and younger people ( 1 , 5 ), likely strengthening the individuals' need to be part of virtual communities. In fact, the participants' preference for the use of specific social media and apps for instant messaging was in line with previous findings ( 100 ), but in our study people declared they spent more time using social media than before the forced isolation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

et al. 2020

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The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted people to face a distressing and unexpected situation. Uncertainty and social distancing changed people's behaviors, impacting on their feelings, daily habits, and social relationships, which are core elements in human well-being. In particular, restrictions due to the quarantine increased feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Within this context, the use of digital technologies has been recommended to relieve stress and anxiety and to decrease loneliness, even though the overall effects of social media consumption during pandemics still need to be carefully addressed. In this regard, social media use evidence risk and opportunities. In fact, according to a compensatory model of Internet-related activities, the online environment may be used to alleviate negative feelings caused by distressing life circumstances, despite potentially leading to negative outcomes. The present study examined whether individuals who were experiencing high levels of loneliness during the forced isolation for COVID-19 pandemic were more prone to feel anxious, and whether their sense of loneliness prompted excessive social media use. Moreover, the potentially mediating effect of excessive social media use in the relationship between perceived loneliness and anxiety was tested. A sample of 715 adults (71.5% women) aged between 18 and 72 years old took part in an online survey during the period of lockdown in Italy. The survey included self-report measures to assess perceived sense of loneliness, excessive use of social media, and anxiety. Participants reported that they spent more hours/day on social media during the pandemic than before the pandemic. We found evidence that perceived feelings of loneliness predicted both excessive social media use and anxiety, with excessive social media use also increasing anxiety levels. These findings suggest that isolation probably reinforced the individuals' sense of loneliness, strengthening the need to be part of virtual communities. However, the facilitated and prolonged access to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic risked to further increase anxiety, generating a vicious cycle that in some cases may require clinical attention.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

et al. 2020

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“…Recent findings from a study by Fardouly and colleagues indicate that more frequent appearance comparisons with others on social media and considering them to be more attractive than oneself is negatively correlated with body image satisfaction and positively linked with eating-related disorders in both male and female teenagers ( 60 ). Evidence from a sample of Italian adolescents highlights the role played by appearance control beliefs and body image control in photos, as these dimensions could be configured as predictors of problematic usage of social media and negative mental health outcomes ( 59 ). Overall, the findings indicate a higher vulnerability for girls to develop a negative image of their own body.…”

Section: Methods and Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media Usage and Development of Psychiatric Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence: A Review

et al. 2021

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Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are now part of almost everyone's social life, especially for the newer generations. Children and teenagers grew up together with these Internet-based services, which have become an integral part of their personal and social life. However, as reported in various studies, psychological and psychiatric problems are sometimes associated with problematic usage of social media. The primary purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the cognitive, psychological, and social outcomes correlated with a problematic use of social media sites during the developmental stages, from age 10 to 19 years. With a specific focus on depression, anxiety, eating, and neurodevelopmental disorders, the review also discusses evidence related to genetic and neurobiological issues, together with the implications in clinical work and future directions under a multidisciplinary perspective. While the scientific community has made significant progress in enhancing our understanding of the impact of social media on teenagers' lives, more research integrating biological and environmental factors is required to fully elucidate the development of these disorders.

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“…Follow-up investigations are also needed. Considering the high levels of Withdrawal that emerged from the results, future investigations should explore the function and the role played by virtual environments and e-communities during pandemic in-depth, taking into account the roles played by the online environments and by the use of social media in terms of both risks and protective functions ( Faccio et al, 2019 ; Gargiulo and Margherita, 2019 ; Margherita and Gargiulo, 2018 ; Procentese et al, 2019 ; Boursier et al, 2020 ). In this sense, future investigations might be also directed to investigate the changes in the dynamics of social and love relationships ( Mannarini et al, 2013 , 2017a ; Balottin et al, 2017 ; Margherita et al, 2018 ) as well as the role of social support ( Ratti et al, 2017 ) post-lockdown and post-pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Through the COVID-19 Quarantine: A Growth Curve Analysis on Italian Young Adults

et al. 2020

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Introduction Health emergencies, such as epidemics, have detrimental and long-lasting consequences on people’s mental health, which are higher during the implementation of strict lockdown measures. Despite several recent psychological researches on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighting that young adults represent a high risk category, no studies specifically focused on young adults’ mental health status have been carried out yet. This study aimed to assess and monitor Italian young adults’ mental health status during the first 4 weeks of lockdown through the use of a longitudinal panel design. Methods Participants ( n = 97) provided self-reports in four time intervals (1-week intervals) in 1 month. The Syndromic Scales of Adult Self-Report 18-59 were used to assess the internalizing problems (anxiety/depression, withdrawn, and somatic complaints), externalizing problems (aggressive, rule-breaking, and intrusive behavior), and personal strengths. To determine the time-varying effects of prolonged quarantine, a growth curve modeling will be performed. Results The results showed an increase in anxiety/depression, withdrawal, somatic complaints, aggressive behavior, rule-breaking behavior, and internalizing and externalizing problems and a decrease in intrusive behavior and personal strengths from T1 to T4. Conclusions The results contributed to the ongoing debate concerning the psychological impact of the COVID-19 emergency, helping to plan and develop efficient intervention projects able to take care of young adults’ mental health in the long term.

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Objectified Body Consciousness, Body Image Control in Photos, and Problematic Social Networking: The Role of Appearance Control Beliefs

Cited by 63 publications

References 104 publications

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

Facing Loneliness and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Isolation: The Role of Excessive Social Media Use in a Sample of Italian Adults

Social Media Usage and Development of Psychiatric Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence: A Review

Mental Health Through the COVID-19 Quarantine: A Growth Curve Analysis on Italian Young Adults

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