ABSTRACT Background: Selfie-taking is increasing nowadays, mainly in the younger age group. Aim: To assess the proportion of selfie-taking in male and female medical undergraduates and its relation to self-esteem. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on consenting medical undergraduates who were assessed using a self-prepared semi-structured questionnaire about their demographic characteristics and selfie-taking habits. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale. Information obtained was analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: The majority of participants were females (56%). Compared to males, more females were found to be involved in selfie-taking, with the majority in the third year (68%). Most of the participants took 0–3 selfies/day. Regarding selfie-taking, 48% of study participants felt it was fun, 38% expressed that it allows them to control how they present themselves, and 28% commented that it could turn deadly or disastrous if not used promptly. The majority of medical undergraduates had normal self-esteem. Multiple regression analysis revealed that addictive behaviors and body shaming were significant negative predictors of self-esteem scores. Conclusion: Selfie-taking behavior is widespread among young adults, with no significant gender differences in frequency or motivation. Females reported more body shaming and associated selfies with risk, but the overall impact on self-esteem was minimal. The study highlights the detrimental roles of addictive behaviors and body shame in predicting self-esteem. The normalization of selfie culture may have diluted its differential impact across genders. Selfie-seeking behavior is not related to self-esteem.
Kavitha et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: