(PS5-44) Body-focused Context Exposure and Social Media Use on Body Image Disturbance

Abstract Text: Social media has become a focus of body image research due to its rise in popularity and focus on sharing varied content. Research suggests social media use has a significant negative relationship with various body image and related clinical health outcomes. However, limited research has investigated the visual depictions of the human body that individuals are exposed to on social media platforms, with even less examining the relationship between the content of such exposures and body image and its outcomes. We sought to address this gap by assessing body-focused content exposure on social media and examining its associations with existing measures of use of and engagement with social media and body image disturbance. A sample of 378 undergraduates (Mage: 18.47, 70% assigned female at birth) completed the anonymous online survey. The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) was utilized to measure physical appearance satisfaction, body satisfaction, and appearance orientation. Social media usage was assessed via self-reported time spent on average and the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS). Finally, body-focused content exposure was measured by assessing self-reported frequency of exposure to revealing body parts and other forms of body-revealing imagery on social media. Three linear regression analyses were conducted for each body image outcome. Time spent on social media (β= -0.10), exposure to body region/form imagery (β= -0.19), and exposure to nude/sexually suggestive imagery (β= 0.15) were significant predictors of physical appearance satisfaction. Social media integration into routines (β= 0.19) and exposure to body region/form imagery (β= 0.43) were significant predictors of appearance orientation. Finally, time on social media (β= -0.17), integration into social routines (β= 0.15), social and emotional connection to social media (β= -0.13), exposure to muscularity/posing imagery (β= 0.15), and exposure to body region/form imagery (β= -0.24) were significant predictors of body satisfaction. Broadly, the body-focused content exposure scales were significant predictors in the models in addition to the social media variables. These findings partially reinforce the existing understanding of the relationship between social media use and body image outcomes. Importantly, it provides preliminary evidence on the relationship between types of content exposure on social media and the relationship with body image outcomes. Future work will investigate the implications of body-focused content exposure on other health indicators, such as exercise and eating pathology.