The present study aimed to examine the association between social media use and body image acceptance, and to test the role of cognitive flexibility as a moderator. Previous research has shown that adolescents often experience heightened body image anxiety due to extensive social media use, highlighting the need to clarify protective and risk factors in this context.
Participants were youth aged 18-25 including 4 males and 21 females,who completed the Social Media Use Scale (SMUS), the Body Image Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (BI-AAQ), and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI). Correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationships among variables.
Results indicated that social media use was positively associated with body image acceptance. In contrast, the total score of cognitive flexibility and its subscales were negatively related to body image acceptance, with the Control subscale serving as a significant predictor (p < .05), whereas the Alternatives subscale was not significant. Furthermore, the interaction between cognitive flexibility and social media use did not have a significant moderating effect on body image acceptance.
Overall, these findings suggest that both social media use and individual psychological traits are related to body image acceptance, but cognitive flexibility does not moderate this relationship. This study provides insights into the factors influencing body image among youth and offers empirical implications for mental health promotion and clinical interventions.