Patterns of Cognitive-Emotional Responses to Online Body Shaming and Pathological Behavior Odds Among Adolescents...

Online body shaming is common in adolescence and linked to a range of maladaptive outcomes. This study examined whether discrete cognitive-emotional responses to online body shaming are differentially associated with somatization, escaping behavior, eating-disorder behaviors, and substance use, and whether these associations vary by age or sex. In a cross-sectional, school-based survey, 2441 Czech adolescents (11-17 years) who reported online body shaming were analyzed. Cognitive-emotional responses were grouped into five categories (forceful, passive, uncontrollable emotions; negative thoughts; self-harm ideation). Behavioral outcomes were grouped into four categories (somatization, escaping behavior, eating-disorder behaviors, substance use). Multivariable logistic regressions estimated associations between emotions and behaviors; moderation by age (11-14 vs. 15-17) and sex was probed via z-tests on log-odds ratios. Two consistent patterns emerged. (1) Uncontrollable and forceful emotions were associated with higher odds of somatization and escaping behavior. (2) Self-harm ideation and negative thoughts were associated with higher odds of eating-disorder behaviors and substance use. Model fits were significant across outcomes. Associations were broadly similar across ages and sexes; formal comparisons detected no systematic moderation by age or sex. Distinct emotional reactions to online body shaming map onto specific maladaptive behavior risks in adolescents, largely independent of age and sex. Screening for high-arousal dysregulation (e.g., uncontrollable or forceful emotions) and self-focused despair (negative thoughts, self-harm ideation) may help schools and clinicians flag youth at risk for somatic complaints, withdrawal, disordered eating, or substance use. Findings reflect associations from cross-sectional data and should be tested longitudinally.