ArticleEating and weight disorders : EWD2022
The association between social media addiction and eating disturbances is mediated by muscle dysmorphia-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study in a sample of young adults.
Article in Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Idealized Body Images and Fitness Lifestyles on Social Media: A Systematic Review Exploring the Link Between Social Media Use and Symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa and Muscle Dysmorphia.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Pooled it
- I tweet, therefore I am: a systematic review on social media use and disorders of the social brain.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- The Mediating Effect of Body Mass Index on the Association Between Problematic Social Media Use and Body Dysmorphic Concerns: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Young Lebanese Adults.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Digital Media Use and Psychosocial Health among Adolescent Boys and Young Men.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- The muscle dysmorphia-eating disorders link as a public health concern: an epidemiological study of symptom dimensions and social isolation.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Bytes and bites: social media use and dietary behaviours among adolescents across 41 countries.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- A proposed model of the maintenance and exacerbation of body image and eating concerns in the context of problematic social network use.Addictive behaviors reports · 2025Review
- The effect of mukbang watching on eating attitudes mediated uncontrolled eating, cognitive restriction, and emotional eating.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2025Article
- Social Media Exposure and Muscle Dysmorphia Risk in Young German Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Survey with Machine-Learning Insights Using the MDDI-1.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Interaction Between Social Support and Muscle Dysmorphia: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Social Media Use.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Determinants and relationships of digital addiction, diet quality, and physical activity in adolescents.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Can social media be a threat or an opportunity to public health via the impacts on diet quality?Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- The Association of Social Media Use and Eating Behaviour of Belgian Adolescent Girls Diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa-A Qualitative Approach.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Application of machine learning in predicting adolescent Internet behavioral addiction.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Development and Psychometric Properties of the Social Network Site Use Motives Scale-Revised.Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology · 2023Article
- Prevalence of Eating Disorders and Their Association with Social Media Addiction among Youths.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Dissociative experiences of compartmentalization are associated with food addiction symptoms: results from a cross-sectional report.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2023Article
- Factor structure and interpretation on the Thai-Social Media Engagement Scale (T-SMES).Heliyon · 2022Article
- Problematic Use of the Internet Mediates the Association between Reduced Mentalization and Suicidal Ideation: A Cross-Sectional Study in Young Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeAlthough the association between problematic use of the internet and eating disorders (EDs) in young adults has been previously established, its underlying mechanisms have not been completely clarified. It has been suggested that exposure to idealized very thin and toned body images (e.g., "thinspiration" and "fitspiration" trends) on social media might lead to increased feelings of body dissatisfaction which, in turn, can represent a trigger for EDs. We have tested this hypothesis in a sample (N = 721) of young adults (504 females, mean age: 24.13 ± 3.70 years; range 18-34).
methodsSelf-report measures investigating symptoms related to social media addiction (SMA), muscle dysmorphia (MD), and EDs were used. A mediational model analyzing the direct and indirect effects of SMA-related symptoms on ED-related symptoms through the mediating role of MD-related symptoms was performed controlling for confounding factors (e.g., socio-demographic variables, substances use, body mass index, psychopathological distress).
resultsThe model showed that the total effect of SMA-related symptoms on ED-related symptoms was significant (B = 0.213; p = 0.022) and that this association was mediated by MD-related symptoms (B = 0.083; p = 0.021). DISCUSSION: Our findings support the possibility that MD-related symptoms play a relevant role in mediating the association between SMA severity and ED pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
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