Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
College of Applied Human Sciences
Department
Not Listed
Committee Chair
Sam Zizzi
Committee Member
Jake Follmer
Committee Member
Zenzi Huysmans
Committee Member
Megan Vendemia
Abstract
In considering athletes’ body image, it is necessary to examine the psychosocial factors, and related psychological processes, that influence it. The body-related pressures athletes experience while navigating social media represent a relatively new and increasingly influential factor that warrants further investigation. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to replicate and refine Miller and colleagues’ (in press) model; (2) to examine differences in model variables and relationships across demographic and contextual groups; and (3) to explore aspects of social media perceived as contributing to appearance pressures, as well as strategies athletes may use to mitigate these pressures and their associated adverse effects among current NCAA athletes. A total of 509 participants completed an online survey that included validated scales and two open-ended questions. Data analyses included structural question modeling (SEM) and multigroup SEM for quantitative data, as well as inductive category formation for qualitative data. The refined model demonstrated adequate fit and accounted for 59.8% of variance in body dissatisfaction, underscoring the central role of social media appearance pressures and mediating psychological processes in influencing collegiate athletes’ body image. Further, collegiate athletes’ experiences of these pressures and related psychological processes differed by gender, with women experiencing significant greater social media appearance pressures, and in turn, greater internalization of thin/low body fat ideals and body dissatisfaction. In contrast, these pressures and relationships within the model did not differ by sport type or division level. Participants identified 30 different aspects of social media that contributed to body pressures and 17 unique strategies that may help mitigate these pressures. Altogether, this study extends existing literature and highlights the importance of continued exploration into the influence of social media, as well as measures that athletes and sport organizations may take to safeguard collegiate athletes’ body image.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Hannah Hunter, "Social Media Appearance Pressures and Body Dissatisfaction in Collegiate Athletes: Model Refinement, Group Differences, and Exploratory Insights" (2026). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 13396.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13396
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Media Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Sports Studies Commons