Exploring social media appearance preoccupation in relation to self-esteem, well-being, and mental health

background Social media platforms have become integral to modern society, facilitating diverse content interactions for indi viduals. The widespread use of social media has sparked intriguing inquiries into its impact on self-perception and individual well-being. This study investigated the phe nomenon of social media appearance preoccupation and its complex relationship with psychosocial factors such as self-esteem, well-being, appearance-related anxiety, de pression, and anxiety, considering both the rich-get-richer hypothesis and the poor-get-richer hypothesis. participants and procedure A sample of 401 Italian participants, aged 18 to 54, com pleted the demographic questionnaire, the Social Media Appearance Preoccupation Scale (SMAPS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), the Psychological General Well Being Index (PGWBI), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y2 (STAI-Y2). results The results suggest a complex relationship between psy chosocial factors and social media appearance preoc cupation (SMAP). While higher levels of self-esteem and well-being were associated with lower levels of SMAP, in dicating a protective effect against appearance preoccupa tion on social media, there was a positive correlation be tween appearance-related anxiety, leisure hours of media use, and SMAP. conclusions These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of SMAP and its associations with various psychosocial fac tors. Overall, these results provide partial support for the theory of the poor-get-richer hypothesis, suggesting that individuals experiencing heightened levels of appearance related anxiety may turn to social media as a coping mechanism, potentially exacerbating their psychological distress. key words social media; appearance preoccupation; self-esteem; well being; anxiety; depression; rich-get-richer hypothesis; poor get-richer hypothesi