Adolescents' body shame and social networking sites: the mediating effect of body image control in photos

Gioia, F, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524 and Boursier, V, 2020. Adolescents' body shame and social networking sites: the mediating effect of body image control in photos. Sex Roles, 83, pp. 773-785. ISSN 0360-0025

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Abstract

Adolescents' social networking site (SNS) use has dramatically grown in the past few years and has increasingly become focused on pictures and visual self-presentation. Attention directed toward online physical appearance appears to trigger some body-related behaviors (e.g., body image monitoring) which potentially are related to self-objectification and problematic SNS use. Indeed, the use of social media platforms (including the active creation of content and peer interactions) provides a highly accessible medium for socializing with self-objectification. The present study evaluated the previously unexplored predictive role of body shame on SNS use, testing the mediating effect of body image control in photos on SNS. A total of 693 Italian adolescents (45% male; Mage = 16 years, range = 13–19 years) participated in the study. Results only partially confirmed the direct effect of body shame on problematic SNS use. However, body shame strongly predicted body image control in SNS photos, leading indirectly to both male and female adolescents' problematic social media use. The study demonstrated novel findings in the field of self-objectification research and contributes toward the ongoing debate on possible predictors of problematic SNS use.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Sex Roles
Creators:	Gioia, F., Griffiths, M.D. and Boursier, V.
Publisher:	Springer
Date:	December 2020
Volume:	83
ISSN:	0360-0025
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s11199-020-01142-0 DOI 1311349 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	26 Mar 2020 14:41
Last Modified:	31 May 2021 15:05
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/39490

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