TY  - EJOU
AU  - Song, Huan 
AU  - Zhao, Yuan 
AU  - He, Chenglin 

TI  - BMI and social avoidance: The mediating roles of body dissatisfaction and self-esteem
T2  - Journal of Psychology in Africa

PY  - 2026
VL  - 36
IS  - 2
SN  - 1815-5626

AB  - This study aimed to explore the mediating roles of body dissatisfaction and self-esteem on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and among female college students. Using a cross-sectional study design, 669 Chinese female college students completed the Body Mass Index, the Body Image States Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, and the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale. The results showed that body dissatisfaction partially mediated the relationship between BMI and social avoidance. Additionally, body dissatisfaction and self-esteem together formed a serial mediation pathway between BMI and social avoidance. In other words, BMI shows a direct association with social avoidance among female college students, as well as indirect associations through the simple mediation of body dissatisfaction and the serial mediation of body dissatisfaction and self-esteem. Findings suggest that increased body satisfaction and self-esteem can reduce social avoidance among female college students.
KW  - College students; body mass index; body dissatisfaction; self-esteem; social avoidance

DO  - 10.32604/jpa.2026.069347