Social media and eating disorder psychopathology: A systematic review

Abstract

The relationship between socialization through social media (SM) and eating disorders (EDs) is a serious problem for public health, largely affecting the mental health of younger people. This work aimed to identify scientific works addressing ED psychopathologies, studying their relationship with SM usage. In this systematic review, we analyze the available scientific evidence, thereby providing tools for intervention, prevention, and treatment. A systematic review and PRISMA analysis of narrative syntheses was carried out. Works were selected from the databases of Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO. Out of a total of 257 references, 19 articles were identified and selected; among them, correlational studies predominated. A growing interest in the subject matter was identified, as it is undergoing constant changes. The investigations found that EDs and SM usage are influenced by the time spent on SM, the type of interactions, and shared photographs, as well as gender and sociocultural context.

Keywords

• Systematic review
• eating disorder psychopathology
• social media
• anorexia
• bulimia