The Psychological Impact of Body Shaming on Adolescents and Young Adults: A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63501/8vkhnf42Keywords:
Body shaming, Young adults, Adolescents, Social Media, Mental health, Physiological Changes, Psychological Impacts, RelationshipsAbstract
Body shaming can be defined as the judgment of an individual’s physical appearance through language and actions. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the issue of body shaming, which is highly prevalent among adolescents and young adults. In order to further expand this research, a thorough evaluation of the cognitive effects must be critically analyzed within the issues of body shaming. This study incorporated real-world data by studying 50 participants with various backgrounds through an online voluntary survey in order to affirm the adverse effects that arise from body image criticism. The survey consisted of gathering information about the causes of body dysmorphia and how individuals felt after the experience. The results explore how the majority of the youth suffer from dysmorphia due to increased exposure to negative content on social media, influential relationships, and generalized standards over physique. The research analyzed and conducted illustrates the critical relationship between body shaming and effects such as mental illness and physical disorders.
References
Di Iorio, G., Esposito, D., Romano, S., Panvino, F., Altomonte, B., Conte, G., Casini, M. P., Terrinoni, A., Calderoni, D., Andò, R., Quattrociocchi, W., & Vitiello, B. (2025). Navigating child and adolescent mental health in the digital age. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1514806. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1514806
Fang, R. (2020). Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Men versus Women. Pressbooks.pub. https://pressbooks.pub/btugman/chapter/prevalence-of-eating-disorders-in-men-vs-women/
Fitrio Deviantony, Yeni Fitria, Rondhianto Rondhianto, & Ni. (2024). An in depth review of body shaming phenomenon among adolescent: Trigger factors, psychological impact and prevention efforts. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 30. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v30i0.2341
Jabr, F. (2023). John A. Long - Publications List. Publicationslist.org, 14(6). https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/Child_First_Justice_the_research_evidence-base_Full_report_/14152040?file=26748341
Kandel, D. B., Raveis, V. H., & Davies, M. (1991). Suicidal ideation in adolescence: Depression, substance use, and other risk factors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20(2), 289–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01537613
Kicman, A. T. (2008). Pharmacology of Anabolic Steroids. British Journal of Pharmacology, 154(3), 502–521. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjp.2008.165
Kilpela, L. S., Schaumberg, K. E., Hopkins, L. B., & Becker, C. B. (2017). Mechanisms of action during a dissonance-based intervention through 14-month follow-up: The roles of body shame and body surveillance. Body Image, 23, 171–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.10.003
King, A. A., Russon, J. M., Mensinger, J. L., & Jin, B. (2022). Parental psychological control, attachment insecurity and body shame: How relational factors impact disordered eating. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Advance online publication. (n.d.).
Leaf, D. E., Bukberg, P. R., & Goldfarb, D. S. (2012). Laxative Abuse, Eating Disorders, and Kidney Stones: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 60(2), 295–298. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2012.02.337
Lucibello, K. M., O’Loughlin, E. K., Sabiston, C. M., Malouka, S., O’Rourke, R. H., & O’Loughlin, J. (2023). Body-related shame and authentic pride are independently associated with self-rated health in young adults. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 43(6), 271–280. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.43.6.01
Lymperopoulos, A., Rengo, G., & Koch, W. J. (2007). Adrenal adrenoceptors in heart failure: fine-tuning cardiac stimulation. Trends in Molecular Medicine, 13(12), 503–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2007.10.005
McLean, S. A., Paxton, S. J., & Wertheim, E. H. (2016). Does Media Literacy Mitigate Risk for Reduced Body Satisfaction Following Exposure to Thin-Ideal Media? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(8), 1678–1695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0440-3
Merino, M., Tornero-Aguilera, J. F., Rubio-Zarapuz, A., Villanueva-Tobaldo, C. V., Martín-Rodríguez, A., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2024). Body Perceptions and Psychological well-being: a Review of the Impact of Social Media and Physical Measurements on self-esteem and Mental Health with a Focus on Body Image Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Cultural and Gender Factors. Healthcare, 12(14), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12141396
Michael, S. L., Wentzel, K., Elliott, M. N., Dittus, P. J., Kanouse, D. E., Wallander, J. L., Pasch, K. E., Franzini, L., Taylor, W. C., Qureshi, T., Franklin, F. A., & Schuster, M. A. (2013a). Parental and Peer Factors Associated with Body Image Discrepancy among Fifth-Grade Boys and Girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9899-8
Michael, S. L., Wentzel, K., Elliott, M. N., Dittus, P. J., Kanouse, D. E., Wallander, J. L., Pasch, K. E., Franzini, L., Taylor, W. C., Qureshi, T., Franklin, F. A., & Schuster, M. A. (2013b). Parental and Peer Factors Associated with Body Image Discrepancy among Fifth-Grade Boys and Girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9899-8
Neale, J., & Hudson, L. D. (2020). Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescents. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 81(6), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2020.0099
Relations, M. (2024, September 26). Study: negative body image among teens is a global issue | Waterloo News. Waterloo News. https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/study-negative-body-image-among-teens-global-issue-0
Remondi, C., Casu, G., Pozzi, C., Greco, F., Gremigni, P., & Brugnera, A. (2023). A Serial Mediation Model of Insecure Attachment and Psychological Distress: The Role of Dispositional Shame and Shame-Coping Styles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3193. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043193
Saxena, S., Mathur, A., & Jain, S. (n.d.). BODY SHAMING, EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVITY, AND LIFE ORIENTATION AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. Research Gate; JETIR. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Samiksha-Jain-5/publication/344424421_BODY_SHAMING_EMOTIONAL_EXPRESSIVITY_AND_LIFE_ORIENTATION_AMONG_YOUNG_ADULTS/links/5f7446de92851c14bca06a14/BODY-SHAMING-EMOTIONAL-EXPRESSIVITY-AND-LIFE-ORIENTATION-AMONG-YOUNG-ADULTS.pdf
Staner, L. (2010). Comorbidity of insomnia and depression. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 14(1), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2009.09.003
Suhag, K., & Rauniyar, S. (2024). Social Media Effects Regarding Eating Disorders and Body Image in Young Adolescents. Cureus, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.58674
Treasure, J., Duarte, T. A., & Schmidt, U. (2020). Eating disorders. The Lancet, 395(10227), 899–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30059-3
Valdez, R. (n.d.). How Bulimia Affects The Teeth. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/bulimia-teeth-5203972
van Reijmersdal, E. A., & van Dam, S. (2020). How Age and Disclosures of Sponsored Influencer Videos Affect Adolescents’ Knowledge of Persuasion and Persuasion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01191-z
Yardley, H. L., McTiernan, E. F., & Lemanek, K. L. (2024). Practice Guidelines in the Assessment and Treatment of Depression and Suicidality in Adolescent Females. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2024.04.003
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and the source. To view a copy of this license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0