Mediation effect of social media on the association between body image and psychological well being

This study was evaluated the relationship between social media, body image, and psychological well-being by employing the Social media scale (SMS), Body image Scale (BI) and Psychological well being scale (PWS) among university/college going students. The present study was employed a correlational research design, which focused on the mediation effect of social media on the association between body image and psychological well being. The population targeted in the study were male and female students, studying in college/ universities of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. The sample size was N = 84 Aged 18 – 25 years. The method of sampling chosen for the study was incidental random sampling technique. Results indicated that there was a significant correlation between psychological well being, body image and social media. More specifically, lower scores in BI total and SM are correlated with greater PWS scores. Mediation effect of social media was insignificant, but the direct effect was increased. This strong negative relationship indicates that higher social media use and lower body image is significantly associated with psychological well-being.