This study investigated the influence of negative appearance perception on the social avoidance behavior of high school students in East China, and focused on the mediating role of self-esteem. Through a mixed method combining quantitative investigation (N=100) and qualitative interviews (N=5), the research shows that the higher the level of negative appearance perception among teenagers, the stronger the tendency of social avoidance and the lower the level of self-esteem. The gender differences are obvious. Compared with men, female students report significantly higher levels of appearance-related anxiety and social avoidance. Through Pearson correlation analysis and mediation model analysis, it was found that self-esteem plays a partial mediating role between negative appearance perception and social avoidance, accounting for 15.6% of the variance. The research results highlight the significance of interventions that promote positive body image and self-acceptance. Although this study provides valuable insights, its regional focus and gender imbalance in the sampling indicate the approach for future research on a more diverse population.
Yan Xu (Tue,) studied this question.
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