The Mediating Effect of Body Mass Index on the Association Between Problematic Social Media Use and Body Dysmorphic Concerns: A Cross‐Sectional Study Among Young Lebanese Adults

Background: The psychological mechanism that underlies the correlation between problematic social media use (PSMU) and body dysmorphic concerns was undetermined and ambiguous. The present study examined the mediating role of body mass index (BMI) in the association between PSMU and body dysmorphic concerns among a sample of Lebanese university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 Lebanese university students, using an online survey collecting the following data: sociodemographic/socioeconomic characteristics, anthropometric measures, health status, dysmorphic concern, and PSMU. Results: In conducting the mediation analysis, adjustments were made for the following variables: sex, residence, age, household crowding index, and physical activity. BMI mediated the link between PSMU and body dysmorphic concerns (indirect effect: Beta = 0.03; BootSE = 0.01; 95% CI 0.01-0.07). Higher PSMU was significantly associated with higher BMI and directly linked to higher body dysmorphic concerns. Moreover, higher BMI was notably linked to higher body dysmorphic concerns. Conclusion: This study elucidates the connection between body dysmorphic concerns, PSMU, and BMI. Our findings suggest that BMI may partially explain the association between PSMU and body dysmorphic concerns among young Lebanese adults. Further longitudinal research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these relationships. Studies conducted in different populations and different settings could assess if our results are local or generalizable.