Instagram use and disordered eating behaviors
The mediating role of appearance comparison, thinness and muscularity ideal internalization, and emotional dysregulation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21621051 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Irene Sierra (0009-0008-9771-3133, Universidad de Cádiz), María Roncero (0000-0002-4213-3106, Universitat de València), Juan Francisco Rodríguez Testal (0000-0002-7346-5656, Universidad de Sevilla), Cristina Senín‐Calderón (0000-0002-7604-8487), CRISTINA SENÍN-CALDERÓN (Universidad de Cádiz, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12144-026-09355-4 |
| OpenAlex | W7152722950 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
This study examined whether appearance-related social comparisons, difficulties in emotion regulation, and internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals mediate the association between active Instagram use and disordered eating behaviors. A multiple parallel mediation model was tested in a sample of 533 Spanish participants (55.7% women; M age = 22.40 years, SD = 3.52). Results showed that the total indirect effect of active Instagram use on disordered eating behaviors was statistically significant, whereas the direct effect was not significant when the proposed mechanisms were included, consistent with an indirect-only pattern. Analyses of specific indirect effects indicated that only appearance-related social comparisons were a significant pathway linking active Instagram use to disordered eating behaviors ( b = 0.439, 95% CI [0.052, 0.851]). Difficulties in emotion regulation and internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals were not supported as significant mechanisms. Overall, the model explained 37.5% of the variance in disordered eating behaviors. These findings suggest that appearance-focused social comparison processes may represent a key psychological pathway linking active Instagram use to vulnerability to disordered eating, underscoring their relevance for prevention and intervention efforts in social media contexts
Disordered eating · Eating disorders · Emotional dysregulation · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Exacting beauty
Social comparison on social networking sites
The Association of Emotional Eating with Overweight/Obesity, Depression, Anxiety/Stress, and Dietary Patterns
Directrices para la traducción y adaptación de los tests
The Effects of the Media on Body Image
Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (Sataq-4).
Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders
The Eating Attitudes Test
Multidimensional Assessment of Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation
Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology
Adolescents’ selfie-taking and selfie-editing
The looking glass selfie
A feminine burden of perfection? Appearance-related pressures on social networking sites
The social media diet
The Impact of Teasing and Bullying Victimization on Disordered Eating and Body Image Disturbance Among Adolescents
The Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test, Drive for Muscularity Scale, and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory among Chinese Men
Validation of a Spanish Version of the Physical Appearance Comparison Scales
I (Don’t) Respect My Body”
The associations of active and passive social media use with well-being
Objectification Theory
Instagram Use and Self-Objectification
Facebook Involvement, Objectified Body Consciousness, Body Shame, and Sexual Assertiveness in College Women and Men
A Theory of Social Comparison Processes
Binge eating as escape from self-awareness
| Highly cited | No |
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