Body image dissatisfaction and social media use among adolescent athletes in Sri Lanka
Description
The present study sought to investigate the magnitude of body image dissatisfaction (BID) among adolescent athletes in Sri Lanka and to explore its relationship with selected activities on social media. A total of 478 adolescents (53.7% male), aged 13 to 19 years, who were currently engaged in athletics, were recruited. BID was assessed using the Adolescent Body Image Satisfaction Scale. Time spent on social media, and the frequency of selfie-taking, selfie-posting and photo manipulation were assessed using ordinal scales. Weight and height were measured and body mass index was calculated. In the sample, 51.3% were reportedly active on social media. Social media use was higher among boys and older adolescents. While 20.9% of the adolescents articulated a positive body image, almost all the others (78.7%) reported mild BID. Higher body mass index was associated with greater BID, after adjusting for age and gender. Gender and age were not significant predictors of body image concerns. Among the social media activity parameters, only selfie-taking frequency was positively correlated with BID. Photo manipulation was significantly associated with body image concerns, only among girls.