Body image construction and mental health levels among college students: a data survey of Chinese university students

Resumo

Background With the rapid changes in body image construction brought about by the upgrading of consumption in China, trend-seeking college students are faced with mental health problems brought about by the pursuit of the “ideal body type,” which cannot be ignored. This study aims to explore the relationship between body image construction and mental health among college students. This study utilized data from the Survey on Physical Activity and Mental Health of College Students. A total of 1,192 students were randomly selected as the survey sample, and 1,044 valid samples were obtained. The mean age of the respondents was 19.34 years. Methods First, we categorized body image constructs into three categories based on the differences between subjective and objective body image: high acceptance, low acceptance, and consistency. Second, to ensure analytical rigor and minimize potential confounders, we used a generalized propensity score weighting model. Finally, we used a causal mediation framework to investigate the potential causal mechanisms between the independent variable (perceived body image bias) and the dependent variable (mental health) in order to better understand the “net effect.” Results (1) There is a significant correlation between college students’ body image perceptual bias and mental health, i.e., the higher the individual’s acceptance of his/her own body image, the higher the level of mental health, and vice versa. (2) Students in humanities and social scienc

Tipo

Artigo

Área

Psicologia

Ano

2023

Idioma

Inglês

Páginas

11

Licença

CC BY

DOI

10.3389/fpubh.2023.1268775

Como citar (ABNT)

WANG, Xing; LU, Chuntian; NIU, Long. Body image construction and mental health levels among college students: a data survey of Chinese university students. Frontiers in Public Health, v. 11, 2023. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1268775.