Investigating the Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being and Social Appearance Anxiety in Adolescents in Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Abdullah Gergin, Gülzade Uysal
PMID 42249725WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with higher social appearance anxiety reported significantly lower psychological well-being.
Those who participated in regular social and physical activities, or attended school, had higher well-being and lower anxiety scores. These associations were independent of age, gender, or socioeconomic status.
Key findings
01Social appearance anxiety was a significant negative predictor of psychological well-being, explaining unique variance beyond demographic factors.
02Adolescents who did not participate in regular social activities or attend school reported significantly lower psychological well-being and higher social appearance anxiety.
03Negative self-perception of appearance and negative mood were associated with lower psychological well-being and higher social appearance anxiety.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality; associations do not prove that anxiety causes low well-being or vice versa. Snowball sampling may introduce selection bias, limiting the generalizability of findings to the broader adolescent population. Reliance on self-report measures increases the risk of response and social desirability bias. The study did not measure potentially confounding variables such as social media usage intensity, parental involvement, or prior mental health history. Findings are specific to the Turkish cultural context and may not apply directly to other populations.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and stated that no financial support was received from any organization with an interest in the submitted work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these associations as evidence that reducing appearance anxiety will directly improve well-being. The cross-sectional design cannot determine directionality or causality, and unmeasured factors like social media use or family dynamics may explain the observed relationships.