Developing a Structural Model of Family Characteristics, Cyber Addiction, and Body Image Concern: The Mediating Role of Negative Affect in Female Upper Secondary School Students
Keywords:
Body Image Concern, Cyber Addiction, Family Characteristics, Female Students, Negative Affect, Structural Equation ModelingAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to examine a structural model explaining the relationships between family characteristics, cyber addiction, and body image concern, considering the mediating role of negative affect among female high school students.
Methodology: This research was applied in purpose and employed a descriptive–correlational design. The statistical population consisted of female upper secondary school students in Shabestar during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using cluster random sampling, 400 students were selected as the study sample. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires measuring family characteristics, cyber addiction, body image concern, and negative affect. The data were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with the significance level set at 0.05.
Findings: The results indicated that family characteristics were significantly associated with both cyber addiction and body image concern. In addition, negative affect demonstrated a significant positive relationship with these outcome variables. The analysis further showed that negative affect played a significant mediating role in the relationships between family characteristics and the dependent variables. The proposed structural model exhibited acceptable goodness-of-fit indices.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of family functioning as a protective factor in reducing cyber addiction and concerns related to body image among adolescent girls. This influence appears to operate partly through the reduction of negative affect. Strengthening family relationships and implementing interventions focused on emotional regulation may therefore contribute to preventing maladaptive online behaviors and body image disturbances in adolescents.
Downloads
References
Allen, J. P., & Tan, J. S. (2016). The multiple facets of attachment in adolescence. Child Development Perspectives, 10(2), 118-123. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12159
Brand, M., Wegmann, E., Stark, R., Muller, A., Wolfling, K., Robbins, T. W., & Potenza, M. N. (2019). The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 104, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.032
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., pp. 793-828). Wiley.
Chen, I. H., Pakpour, A. H., Leung, H., Potenza, M. N., Su, J. A., Lin, C. Y., & Griffiths, M. D. (2023). The relationship between internet-related behaviors and psychological distress among adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 12(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2023.00001
Elhai, J. D., Yang, H., & Montag, C. (2020). Fear of missing out (FoMO): Overview, theoretical underpinnings, and literature review on relations with problematic technology use. Current Addiction Reports, 7(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-020-00277-8
Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2022). Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions. Current opinion in psychology, 45, 101289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.008
Feijoo, B. (2025). The Impact of Social Media Aesthetic Capital on Adolescent Body Image: Microinfluencer and Expert Perspectives on Social Success and Digital Pressures. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000637
Goh, A. Y., Hartanto, A., Kasturiratna, K. T. A. S., & Majeed, N. M. (2025). No Consistent Evidence for Between- And Within-Person Associations Between Objective Social Media Screen Time and Body Image Dissatisfaction: Insights From a Daily Diary Study. Social Media + Society, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251313855
Griffiths, S., Murray, S. B., Krug, I., & McLean, S. A. (2022). The contribution of social media to body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and anabolic steroid use among adolescents: A systematic review. Body Image, 41, 206-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.02.008
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.
Henseler, J., Hubona, G., & Ray, P. A. (2022). Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: Updated guidelines for modeling and evaluation. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(2), 321-346. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-09-2021-0550
Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2023). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image, 45, 146-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.01.007
Jiménez-García, A., Arias, N., Hontanaya, E. P., Sanz, A., & García-Velasco, O. (2025). Impact of Body-Positive Social Media Content on Body Image Perception. Journal of eating disorders, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01286-y
Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (5th ed.). Guilford Press.
Kuss, D. J., & Lopez-Fernandez, O. (2016). Internet addiction and problematic internet use: A systematic review of clinical research. World journal of psychiatry, 6(1), 143-176. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v6.i1.143
Lam, L. T., & Wong, E. M. (2020). Stress moderates the relationship between problematic internet use by parents and problematic internet use by adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(3), 300-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.08.019
Li, L., Griffiths, M. D., Mei, S., & Niu, Z. (2022). The mediating role of emotional distress in the relationship between family functioning and problematic internet use among adolescents. Addictive behaviors, 131, 107316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107316
Li, Y., Wang, P., & Wang, X. (2023). Negative affect and problematic smartphone use among adolescents: The mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties. Computers in human Behavior, 139, 107541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107541
Odgers, C. L., & Jensen, M. R. (2020). Annual Research Review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 336-348. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13190
Orben, A. (2020). Teenagers, screens and social media: A narrative review of reviews and key studies. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55(4), 407-414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01825-4
Rezvanian, L., & Rahimzadeh, S. (2024). The role of internet addiction in mental health and body image. Clinical Psychology and Personality, 22(1).
Rodgers, R. F., Paxton, S. J., & McLean, S. A. (2020). A biopsychosocial model of body image concerns and disordered eating in adolescence. Clinical psychology review, 79, 101851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101851
Sattarpanahi, E., kiani, L., Hesami, S., Salehi, N., & Kavousighafi, M. (2024). Body Image and Social Media: A Qualitative Investigation of the Influence of Instagram on Young Women's Self-Perception and Body Satisfaction. PWJ, 5(2), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.pwj.5.2.5
Sharma, N., & Mehta, R. (2024). Predicting Body Image Dissatisfaction from Social Media Use and Peer Comparison. Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS), 5(7), 154-162. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jayps.5.7.17
Suhag, K., & Rauniyar, S. (2024). Social Media Effects Regarding Eating Disorders and Body Image in Young Adolescents. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.58674
Tylka, T. L., & Wood-Barcalow, N. L. (2015). What is and what is not positive body image? Conceptual foundations and construct definition. Body Image, 14, 118-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.04.001
Xu, J. (2025). Examining the Varied Effects of Social Media on Body Image Across Genders: An in-Depth Systematic Review. Sage Open, 15(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251374734
Yousafzai, A. K., & Fatima, R. (2025). Understanding Body Image Issues Among Young Pakistani Adults in the Age of Social Media. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7578713/v1
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zahra Nezafati Dizaji (Author); Fatemeh Alijani (Corresponding author); Fatemeh Nazari (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
