The Relationship between Self-Esteem, Online Peer Influence, Social

Networking Site Usage and Body Satisfaction for Teen Girls in the United

States

Elisa HeikenSeptember 19, 2012

Why did I choose this topic?

Introduction

As of December 31, 2011, the global Internet audience has reached over 2.2 billion people (Internet World Stats, 2012).

Of the 800 million Facebook users, 11% are between the

ages of 13 and 17.

The purpose of this research is to examine SNS usage and its relationship to the self-esteem,

body image, and online peer influence of teen users in the United States.

• In the present study, the SNS usage habits of teens between the ages of 14 and 16 are assessed through an online survey.

• The study examines the relationship(s) between teens’ use of SNSs and their self-esteem, body image satisfaction, and online peer influence.

Background

Adolescence is the period of time in which the complex process of transition is made from childhood to adulthood.

Research has shown that females will experience a greater sense of self-consciousness

as opposed to their male adolescent counterparts.

(Enright, Lapsley, & Shukla, 1979; Rankin, Lane, Gibbons, & Gerrard, 2004).

I chose to focus on teen girls, between the ages of 14 and 16, because this is the time when peers seemingly have the most significant

influence.

Preoccupation with and dissatisfaction with body image are widespread among American adolescents, with 60% of adolescent girls reporting a desire to alter their shape or size (Ricciardelli & McCabe, 2001) and have been found to be important precursors to a range of eating disorders (Fisher, Golden, Katzman, & Kreipe, 1995).

Body Image

Adolescent girls have consistently been exposed to the thin ideal in media and school materials, and are now being

exposed through SNSs.

“People do not divide their world into the physical and the online world; rather people tie the two together to supplement each other.”

(Boogart, 2004)

Hypotheses• Hypothesis one: Self-esteem will predict body image dissatisfaction.

• Higher self-esteem lower body dissatisfaction. ⇒

• Lower self-esteem higher body dissatisfaction. ⇒

• Hypothesis two: Online body peer influence will predict body image dissatisfaction.

• Higher online body influence higher body image dissatisfaction.⇒

• Hypothesis three: There will be an interaction between self-esteem and body peer influence as related to body

image dissatisfaction.

• Low self-esteem + high levels of body peer influence higher body image dissatisfaction . ⇒

• Higher self-esteem + lower online body peer influence lower body dissatisfaction.⇒

• Hypothesis four: There will be an interaction between self-esteem and online body peer influence and SNS

usage as related to body image.

• Lower self-esteem + higher online body peer influence + more time spent online highest body image ⇒

dissatisfaction

Methods

62 teen girls between the ages of 14 and 16 were asked to complete an online survey containing:

• Questionnaire that asked about SNS usage• The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale• The Body Areas Satisfaction Scale (BASS) • The Friends as a Source of Influence Scale (original and modified)• The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (original and modified)• Appearance Conversations with Friends (original and modified)

Table 2. Frequencies of Categorical Internet/Social Networking Usage Variable N % Internet Usage

Several Times a day 53 85.5

About once a day 7 11.3

3-5 days a week 1 1.6

Every few weeks 1 1.6

Social Networking Site Most Used

Facebook 54 87.1

Tumblr 3 4.8

Twitter 4 6.5

Via Text Message 1 1.6

Access to Social Networking

Personal Computer 49 79

Shared Computer at home 28 45.2

School Computer 10 16.1

Library Computer 2 3.2

Cellphone 38 61.3

iPad/iPod 5 8.1

Main reason for using Social Networking Sites

Communicate with long-distance friends 8 12.9

Stay in touch friends 42 67.7

To arrange to meet with friends in person 7 11.3

To flirt 1 1.6

Other 4 6.5

How often update status

Never 16 25.8

Once or twice a month 24 38.7

Once or twice a week 17 27.4

Every day 4 6.5

Multiple times per day 1 1.6

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for Continuous Internet/Social Networking Usage Variables Variable mean sd range

Time spent online on weekdays (hours/day) 3.53 4.18 .15-23 Time spent online on weekend (hours/day) 3.68 2.55 .20-15 Visit Social Networking Sites (days/week) 5.92 1.33 1-7 Time spent on social networking sites (hours) 1.4 0.85 .5-4 Number of social networking frequent contacts 18.08 20.1 2-100 Number of contacts on preferred social networking site 636.14 371.07 1.41-1812 Social networking contacts: Girl/Boy Ratio 2.42 0.915 1-3

Figure 2. Partial Regression Plot of Self-Esteem Predicting Body Dissatisfaction

Discussion

Summary and Discussion of Findings

• Hypothesis one. Self-esteem will predict body image dissatisfaction. – Self-esteem scores significantly predicted body

image dissatisfaction.

Summary and Discussion of Findings

• Hypothesis two. Online body peer influence will predict body image dissatisfaction. – Online body peer influence was not significantly

related to body dissatisfaction.

Summary and Discussion of Findings

• Hypothesis three. There will be an interaction between self-esteem and body peer influence as related to body image dissatisfaction.– Online body peer influence did not play a

significant role in body image dissatisfaction.

Summary and Discussion of Findings

• Hypothesis four. There will be an interaction between self-esteem and online body peer influence and SNS usage as related to body image.– The four predictors together significantly

predicted body image dissatisfaction. – However, when accounted for separately, the only

significant predictors were self-esteem and girl/boy ratio.

General Implications of Findings

• Self-esteem is predictive of body image satisfaction.

• The present study did not support Valkenburg’s supposition that SNS usage directly affects self-esteem.

(University of Haifa, 2011, The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt, 2012).

The findings from the present study were not consistent with findings from studies in the past that suggested a relationship between time spent on Facebook and body image issues.

Possible reasons for different findings

• Mixed gender/aged sample• No differentiation of

Facebook usage among ages

• Homogeneous sample• It is unclear if the samples

differ in terms of pre-existing body image concerns, cultural beliefs, and the ways in which SNS sites are being used.

• Potential cultural differences

Research Implications

• Boy/Girl Friend ratio• Appearance Conversations with

Friends Scale-Online Version • Measures to control for parental

influence

Clinical Implications

• How are clients using SNS?• Boy/Girl Friend ratio• Involvement of media viewing in Facebook

(through Liked pages)• Tailored importance of body image

satisfaction to the client

Research Limitations

• Growth rate and changing of SNSs• Limited sample• Recruitment methods• Self-report format

Considerations for Future Research

• Creation of a scale that can be normed and validated specific to SNS usage.

• More diverse sample• Differences among adolescent men