Motives Behind Social Networking Site Use Amongst People with Current or Historical Eating Disorder Symptoms: A Uses &amp; Gratifications Perspective

Studies investigating motives for social networking site (SNS) use amongst people with eating disorder (ED) symptoms are scarce. There is some evidence that readiness to change may be a factor related to SNS use patterns in this population. The aim was to investigate the relationships between SNS use, motives behind SNS use, and readiness to change, as well as ED psychopathology. Participants were recruited from ED recovery websites; 103 provided complete data. As hypothesized, ED symptom severity was inversely associated with readiness to change. However, contrary to expectations, SNS use was not associated with ED symptom severity. The results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that if an individual feels less capable of overcoming their dysfunctional cognitions/behaviors about their body/eating, they are more likely to be motivated to use SNSs for the purpose of impressing others and reputation management. The clinical implication is that high Studies investigating...Show moreStudies investigating motives for social networking site (SNS) use amongst people with eating disorder (ED) symptoms are scarce. There is some evidence that readiness to change may be a factor related to SNS use patterns in this population. The aim was to investigate the relationships between SNS use, motives behind SNS use, and readiness to change, as well as ED psychopathology. Participants were recruited from ED recovery websites; 103 provided complete data. As hypothesized, ED symptom severity was inversely associated with readiness to change. However, contrary to expectations, SNS use was not associated with ED symptom severity. The results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that if an individual feels less capable of overcoming their dysfunctional cognitions/behaviors about their body/eating, they are more likely to be motivated to use SNSs for the purpose of impressing others and reputation management. The clinical implication is that high Studies investigating motives for social networking site (SNS) use amongst people with eating disorder (ED) symptoms are scarce. There is some evidence that readiness to change may be a factor related to SNS use patterns in this population. The aim was to investigate the relationships between SNS use, motives behind SNS use, and readiness to change, as well as ED psychopathology. Participants were recruited from ED recovery websites; 103 provided complete data. As hypothesized, ED symptom severity was inversely associated with readiness to change. However, contrary to expectations, SNS use was not associated with ED symptom severity. The results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that if an individual feels less capable of overcoming their dysfunctional cognitions/behaviors about their body/eating, they are more likely to be motivated to use SNSs for the purpose of impressing others and reputation management. The clinical implication is that high amounts of SNS use may not necessarily be harmful for people with EDs or recovering from EDs, whereas using SNSs for the purposes of impression management could potentially be related to being less ready to recover.Show less

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Motives Behind Social Networking Site Use Amongst People with Current or Historical Eating Disorder Symptoms: A Uses & Gratifications Perspective