TY  - EJOU
AU  - Gan, Wan Ying 
AU  - Chin, Wei-Leng 
AU  - Huang, Shih-Wei 
AU  - Tung, Serene En Hui 
AU  - Lee, Ling Jun 
AU  - Poon, Wai Chuen 
AU  - Siaw, Yan Li 
AU  - O’Brien, Kerry S. 
AU  - Pramukti, Iqbal 
AU  - Ruckwongpatr, Kamolthip 
AU  - Chen, Jung-Sheng 
AU  - Griffiths, Mark D. 
AU  - Lin, Chung-Ying 

TI  - Association between Mental Distress and Weight-Related Self-Stigma via Problematic Social Media and Smartphone Use among Malaysian University Students: An Application of the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition- Execution (I-PACE) Model
T2  - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion

PY  - 2025
VL  - 27
IS  - 3
SN  - 2049-8543

AB  -  <b>Background:</b> Weight-related self-stigma (WRSS) is prevalent among individuals with different types of weight status and is associated with a range of negative health outcomes. Social support and coping models explain how individuals may use different coping methods to deal with their mental health needs. Psychological distress (e.g., depression and stress) could lead to overuse of social media and smartphones. When using social media or smartphones, individuals are likely to be exposed to negative comments regarding weight/shape/size posted on the social media. Consequently, individuals who experience problematic social media use (PSMU) or problematic smartphone use (PSPU) may develop WRSS. Therefore, the present study examined the roles of PSMU and PSPU as mediators in the relationship between psychological distress and WRSS. <b>Methods:</b> Using convenience sampling via an online survey, 622 participants with a mean age of 23.70 years (SD = 4.33) completed questions assessing sociodemographic variables, psychological distress, PSMU, PSPU, WRSS, and self-reported weight and height. <b>Results:</b> The hierarchical regression models showed that sex (β = 0.08, <i>p</i> = 0.01), BMI (β = 0.39, <i>p</i> < 0.001), depression (β = 0.21, <i>p</i> = 0.001), stress (β = 0.18, <i>p</i> = 0.01), PSMU (β = 0.09, <i>p</i> = 0.045), and PSPU (β = 0.14, <i>p</i> = 0.001) were significant factors for WRSS. <b>Conclusion:</b> The mediation models showed that both PSMU and PSPU were significant mediators in the relationships between depression and stress with WRSS. The present findings provide some evidence for understanding WRSS and has important implications for developing interventions to reduce its negative impact on individuals’ health and well-being.
KW  - Weight-related self-stigma; stress coping theory; I-PACE model; depression; stress; social media use; smartphone use

DO  - 10.32604/ijmhp.2025.060049