Instagram use and disordered eating behaviors: the mediating role of appearance comparison, thinness and muscularity ideal internalization, and emotional dysregulation

This study examined whether appearance-related social comparisons, difficulties in emotion regulation, and internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals mediate the association between active Instagram use and disordered eating behaviors. A multiple parallel mediation model was tested in a sample of 533 Spanish participants (55.7% women; M age = 22.40 years, SD = 3.52). Results showed that the total indirect effect of active Instagram use on disordered eating behaviors was statistically significant, whereas the direct effect was not significant when the proposed mechanisms were included, consistent with an indirect-only pattern. Analyses of specific indirect effects indicated that only appearance-related social comparisons were a significant pathway linking active Instagram use to disordered eating behaviors (b = 0.439, 95% CI [0.052, 0.851]). Difficulties in emotion regulation and internalization of thinness and muscularity ideals were not supported as significant mechanisms. Overall, the model explained 37.5% of the variance in disordered eating behaviors. These findings suggest that appearance-focused social comparison processes may represent a key psychological pathway linking active Instagram use to vulnerability to disordered eating, underscoring their relevance for prevention and intervention efforts in social media contexts.