ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
A developmental perspective on appearance-related social media use, body dissatisfaction, and competitive anxiety among Chinese adolescent athletes: a three-wave longitudinal study.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: Digital media engagement centered on appearance has become ubiquitous among adolescents, yet its developmental trajectory and age-specific psychological impacts on young athletes remain poorly understood. This study investigates age-related differences in the longitudinal relationships between appearance-related social media use (ARSME), body dissatisfaction (BD), and competitive anxiety (CA) among Chinese adolescent athletes (aged 14-18) across aesthetic/weight-class and non-leanness sports. The developmental psychopathology framework was adopted because adolescence encompasses distinct developmental phases characterized by differential sensitivity to social-evaluative environmental influences, making a developmental lens essential for understanding age-specific vulnerability to appearance-focused digital content. Methods: A 12-month, three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 356 Chinese adolescent athletes (184 males, 172 females; 14-18 years). Participants were categorized into younger (14-16 years, Results: Younger adolescents exhibited significantly higher levels of ARSME ( Conclusion: Younger adolescent athletes (14-16 years) represent a critical period of heightened vulnerability. Prevention-focused interventions for younger adolescents should prioritize cognitive reappraisal training, metacognitive awareness skills, and functionality-focused body appreciation rather than mere screen time reduction. For older adolescents (17-18 years), interventions targeting performance-based social comparison and authentic self-presentation are additionally warranted.
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