Abstract

Recent attention has been drawn to body and appearance related psychological problems among young women, particularly in connection with appearance-focused activities on SNS. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of appearance-based rejection sensitivity in the relationship between SNS appearance- related posting activities and body dysmorphic symptoms. To achieve this, we administered self-report measures to 300 Korean women aged 18 to 29, assessing their SNS posting activities, appearance-based rejection sensitivity, body dysmorphic symptoms, depression, and anxiety. We conducted correlational analyses followed by structural equation modeling, controlling for depression and anxiety. The results revealed significant positive correlations among SNS appearance-related posting activities, appearance-based rejection sensitivity, and body dysmorphic symptoms. Furthermore, appearance-based rejection sensitivity was found to partially mediate the relationship between SNS posting activities and body dysmorphic symptoms. This study highlights both environmental and individual risk factors linked to body dysmorphic symptoms and lays the groundwork for future prevention and intervention strategies.