The mediating role of depressive and anxiety symptoms in the association between obesity and problematic social media use in young adults

Abstract

Background: Obesity has been associated with problematic internet use or internet use characterized by impulsivity, dependence, risk taking or impairment. Despite the unique affordances and growing popularity of social media, few studies have investigated obesity in relation to the problematic use of social media in contrast to general internet use. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between obesity and problematic social media use and to test symptoms of anxiety and depression as potential mediators of this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to young adults between the ages of 18–25 using the Qualtrics platform. Two mediation models were tested using model 4 of the PROCESS Macro in SPSS. Results: Participants (n = 4939) were between the ages of 18–25 (M = 21.74, SD = 2.3). Participants were 50.6% female (n = 2496) and 58.1% White (n = 2871). Reporting obesity was positively associated with reporting increased levels of problematic social media use, B = 1.15, SE B =.32, t(1, 4938) = 3.59, p