The Mediating Role of Psychological Inflexibility in the Relationship Between Social Appearance Anxiety and Problematic Social Media Use Among Adolescents

Background/Objectives: Problematic social media use (PSMU) has become an increasingly important mental health concern among adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of psychological inflexibility (PI) in the relationship between social appearance anxiety (SAA) and problematic social media use (PSMU) among adolescents. Methods: Data were collected from 491 high school students (334 girls, 68%; 157 boys, 32%) in the city of Sakarya, Turkey, who were enrolled in different grade levels and selected on a voluntary basis. The Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth–8 (AFQ-Y8), and the Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents (SMSA) were used to collect the data. The relationships among PSMU, SAA, and PI were analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS 24. Results: Significant positive relationships were found among PSMU, SAA, and PI. Mediation analysis indicated that psychological inflexibility partially mediated the relationship between SAA and PSMU. Moreover, psychological inflexibility was significantly associated with problematic social media use. SAA showed both direct and indirect associations with problematic social media use through psychological inflexibility. Conclusions: These findings suggest that psychological inflexibility may partially explain the association between SAA and PSMU and highlight its potential as a target for future prevention and intervention efforts.