APPEARANCE RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A GENDERED PERSPECTIVE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71000/aevp0r56Keywords:
Quality of Life, Adolescent Behavior, Cross-Sectional Studies, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Social Media, StudentsAbstract
Background: Social media has become an integral component of daily life, influencing social interaction, self-perception, and emotional well-being. While it serves as a medium for global connection, it simultaneously fosters appearance-based social comparison and psychological distress. In Pakistan’s culturally transitional context, where traditional values intersect with modern digital exposure, individuals experience intensified conflicts between social expectations and online ideals. This study sought to explore these dynamics among university students to contribute culturally relevant insights to psychological literature.
Objective: The study aimed to examine the relationship between appearance-related social media use and quality of life, with gender assessed as a moderating variable among university students.
Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed with convenience sampling of 209 university students aged 18–28 years (M = 21.57, SD = 2.63) from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The sample comprised 115 men (55%) and 94 women (45%). Data were collected using the Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale (ASMC; α = .92) and the WHO Quality of Life–BREF (α = .88). Subscale reliabilities for physical, psychological, social relationship, and environmental domains were .70, .75, .71, and .80, respectively. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27, including descriptive statistics, Pearson product–moment correlation, and moderation analysis.
Results: Appearance-related social media use demonstrated a significant negative correlation with overall quality of life (r = –.19, p < .01). Subdomain correlations were negative for physical (r = –.20, p < .01), psychological (r = –.17, p < .05), and social relationships (r = –.19, p < .01) domains, while nonsignificant for environmental (r = –.12, p > .05). Moderation analysis revealed gender as a significant moderator (β = 0.15, p < .05), with the negative relationship being stronger among women than men.
Conclusion: Findings indicate that higher engagement in appearance-related social media use adversely affects quality of life across both genders, with women being more susceptible. These results emphasize the importance of digital literacy programs, self-care strategies, and gender-sensitive mental health interventions to mitigate the psychological effects of appearance-focused online behavior among young adults.
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