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Internet addiction symptoms, disordered eating, and body image avoidance
Rachel F Rodgers1, Tiffany Melioli, Stéphanie Laconi
1Center for Research on Psychopathology, Toulouse University-Le Mirail, Toulouse, France. rodgers.rachel@gmail.com
Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
|January 17, 2013
Summary
Internet addiction is linked to body image concerns and disordered eating in young adults. Body image avoidance significantly predicts disordered eating, especially in women, supporting self-presentational theories.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Internet Studies
- Eating Disorders
Background:
- Internet addiction is a growing problem among young adults.
- Self-presentational theory suggests online environments facilitate image control.
- Limited research exists on body image and eating concerns in pathological Internet users.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between Internet addiction symptoms, body image esteem, body image avoidance, and disordered eating.
- To explore gender differences in these associations.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 392 French young adults completed an online questionnaire.
- Measures included time spent online, Internet addiction symptoms, disordered eating, and body image avoidance.
- Prevalence of Internet addiction was assessed.
Main Results:
- Internet addiction was reported by 11% of men and 9.7% of women.
- Body image avoidance correlated with Internet addiction symptoms in both genders.
- Internet addiction symptoms and body image avoidance predicted disordered eating in women, even after controlling for BMI.
Conclusions:
- Findings support self-presentational theory in the context of Internet addiction.
- Body image avoidance is a key factor associated with disordered eating among young adults, particularly women.
- Further research into the psychological mechanisms linking online behavior and eating concerns is warranted.
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