Mindful Awareness as a Mediator Between Social Appearance Anxiety and Social Media Addiction in Adolescents.
Suheyla Yurt, Şeyma Laloğlu, Nurgul Karakurt, Sibel Asi Karakaş
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services October 19, 2026 DOI: 10.3928/02793695-20261009-01 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 383 |
| Population | Volunteer secondary school students in eastern Türkiye during the 2024-2025 academic year |
| Topics | Addiction Anxiety |
| Key findings | Social appearance anxiety was positively related to social media addiction and negatively related to mindful awareness, and mindful awareness was negatively related to addiction. Mediation analysis indicated partial mediation, leading the authors to suggest mindful awareness as a target for prevention and that mindfulness-based interventions may reduce appearance anxiety and promote healthier social media use. |
Abstract
Purpose: Adolescence is a critical period for identity formation and social development, and social media can shape appearance perceptions and social acceptance. Social appearance anxiety may be associated with greater vulnerability to social media addiction, whereas mindful awareness may be linked to lower levels of this risk. The current study tested mindful awareness as a mediator between social appearance anxiety and social media addiction in adolescents.
Method: The sample comprised 383 volunteer secondary school students in eastern Türkiye during the 2024-2025 academic year. Participants completed standardized measures of social appearance anxiety, mindful awareness, and social media addiction.
Results: Social appearance anxiety was positively related to social media addiction and negatively related to mindful awareness; mindful awareness was also negatively related to addiction.
Conclusion: Mediation results indicated partial mediation, suggesting mindfulness-based interventions may reduce appearance anxiety and promote healthier social media use among adolescents. Findings highlight mindful awareness as a target for prevention.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Effectiveness of web-based mindfulness program on college students with social network addiction. Medicine March 1, 2023
- The effect of mindfulness on online self-presentation, pressure, and addiction on social media. Frontiers in Psychology December 5, 2022
- Academic Stress and Self-Regulation among University Students in Malaysia: Mediator Role of Mindfulness Behavioral Science 2018