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.
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Acknowledgements
Francesca Gioia, Department of Humanities, University of Naples “Federico II”; Mark D. Griffiths, International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University; Valentina Boursier, Department of Humanities, University of Naples “Federico II”.
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The school principal of each school was informed of the nature of the research and the measures to be used in the survey. Students’ participation was voluntary, confidentiality was assured, and all participants were informed that they could omit any information they did not wish to give and could withdraw from the study at any time. The study was approved by the research team’s University Research Ethics Committee and was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines for psychological research laid down by the Italian Psychological Association (AIP). All authors agree with the contents of the manuscript and the authorship order. In our study there were no funding sources nor a conflict of interest.
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Gioia, F., Griffiths, M.D. & Boursier, V. Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos. Sex Roles 83, 773–785 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01142-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01142-0