Shang Anqi, Bao Han
Department of Media and Communication, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 2;16:1562711. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1562711. eCollection 2025.
This study aimed to examine the mechanisms underlying the association between self-esteem and appearance anxiety, and whether these mechanisms differ by gender. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we investigated interrelationships among self-esteem, social media use, upward social comparison, and appearance anxiety in a sample of 487 college students (52% female) from Jilin and Shanxi provinces, China. Our analysis showed a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and appearance anxiety. This association was partially explained by social media use and a tendency to make upward social comparisons, and this indirect effect was found to be moderated by gender. Specifically, among males, making upward social comparisons was not associated with appearance anxiety. Our findings provide insights into the link between low self-esteem and appearance anxiety in an understudied population.
本研究旨在探讨自尊与外貌焦虑之间关联的潜在机制，以及这些机制是否因性别而异。我们采用结构方程模型（SEM），在中国吉林省和山西省的487名大学生（52%为女性）样本中，研究了自尊、社交媒体使用、向上社会比较和外貌焦虑之间的相互关系。我们的分析表明，自尊与外貌焦虑之间存在显著的负相关。社交媒体使用和向上社会比较的倾向部分解释了这种关联，并且发现这种间接效应受到性别的调节。具体而言，在男性中，向上社会比较与外貌焦虑无关。我们的研究结果为一个研究较少的人群中低自尊与外貌焦虑之间的联系提供了见解。
