RESEARCH PAPER
The importance of self-efficacy and health behaviors in adolescents’ body mass index: the mediating roles of body esteem and problematic internet use
1
Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Technical Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Submission date: 2025-09-08
Final revision date: 2026-04-21
Acceptance date: 2026-06-01
Online publication date: 2026-08-25
Corresponding author
Paweł Kot
Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Technical Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Technical Sciences, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between personal characteristics and body mass index (BMI) and the role of problematic Instagram use and body esteem.
Participants and procedure:
The study included 695 adolescents aged 14-18 years (526 females, M = 17.01, SD = 0.88). The following measures were used: the General Self-Esteem Scale (GSES), the Distress Scale, the Problematic Instagram Use Questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory, the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA), and body mass index (BMI).
Results:
The results showed that problematic Instagram use mediated the relationship between distress and BMI. Additionally, body-esteem appearance and body-esteem weight mediated the relationships between distress, self-efficacy, and health behaviors and BMI. The mediating role of body-esteem attribution and problematic Instagram use was found in the relationships between distress, self-efficacy, and health behaviors and BMI.
Conclusions:
The findings indicate that problematic Instagram use and the dimensions of body esteem play a key mediating role in the associations between distress, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and BMI. These results highlight the importance of addressing body image perceptions and social media use in interventions aimed at promoting healthy weight management and mitigating the negative impact of psychological distress on physical health. These findings can be used to develop workshops and educational programs on social networking sites for adolescents.
The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between personal characteristics and body mass index (BMI) and the role of problematic Instagram use and body esteem.
Participants and procedure:
The study included 695 adolescents aged 14-18 years (526 females, M = 17.01, SD = 0.88). The following measures were used: the General Self-Esteem Scale (GSES), the Distress Scale, the Problematic Instagram Use Questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory, the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESAA), and body mass index (BMI).
Results:
The results showed that problematic Instagram use mediated the relationship between distress and BMI. Additionally, body-esteem appearance and body-esteem weight mediated the relationships between distress, self-efficacy, and health behaviors and BMI. The mediating role of body-esteem attribution and problematic Instagram use was found in the relationships between distress, self-efficacy, and health behaviors and BMI.
Conclusions:
The findings indicate that problematic Instagram use and the dimensions of body esteem play a key mediating role in the associations between distress, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and BMI. These results highlight the importance of addressing body image perceptions and social media use in interventions aimed at promoting healthy weight management and mitigating the negative impact of psychological distress on physical health. These findings can be used to develop workshops and educational programs on social networking sites for adolescents.
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