Status Update: Maladaptive Facebook usage predicts increases in body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms

Abstract

BackgroundThe current study examined the effects of online social evaluations and comparisons on body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms. MethodsWe tested the effects of maladaptive Facebook usage (defined as the tendency to seek negative social evaluations and/or engage in social comparisons via Facebook) on body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms in a sample of 232 college females followed for approximately 4 weeks. ResultsResults provided evidence that maladaptive Facebook usage significantly predicted increases in bulimic symptoms and episodes of over-eating approximately four weeks later. Body dissatisfaction was found to fully mediate the relationship between maladaptive Facebook usage and increases in over-eating episodes, whereas body dissatisfaction partially mediated the relationship between maladaptive Facebook usage and increases in bulimic symptoms more broadly. LimitationsLimitations include the use of a novel measure of maladaptive Facebook usage due to the absence of an existing measure and a non-clinical sample. ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that reducing maladaptive Facebook usage may be a fruitful target for interventions aimed at reducing body dissatisfaction and symptoms of eating pathology.