Body Image Concerns: The Impact of Digital Technologies and Psychopathological Risks in a Normative Sample of Adolescents

Overview

Journal Behav Sci (Basel)

Date 2022 Aug 25

PMID 36004826

Authors

Martina Mesce

Luca Cerniglia

Silvia Cimino

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Objectives: Previous research on associations between Body Image Concerns (BIC) and technological addictions, such as Internet addiction (IA) and Social Media Addiction (SMA), has focused on female samples, neglecting the impact they may have on males and the risk factor associated with age. The present study analyzed the correlations between BIC, IA, and SMA and between internalizing and externalizing problems.

Methods: A sample of 204 participants (118 females; mean age = 15.88 years) were divided into three age groups (early, middle, and late adolescence) and completed a battery of scales including (i) Body Image Concern Inventory, (ii) Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, (iii) Internet Addiction Test, and (iv) Youth Self Report.

Results: Significant associations between BIC and technology addictions (SMA and IA) appeared both in the total sample and in the subgroups related to gender and age; bivariate correlations between internalizing and externalizing problems and variables were significant for the total sample but only in some of the gender- and age-related subgroups.

Discussion And Conclusions: This research has shown how associations between BIC and behavioral technology addictions, especially associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, may vary by the gender affiliation and developmental stage of the individual.

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