Article Type : Research Article
Authors : Humaida IARI
Keywords : Body image; Self-esteem; Selfie addiction; females; Sudan
This study aimed to examine the effect of
self-image and self-esteem on selfie addiction among fresh female students at
Ahfad University (Sudan), as well as to investigate the correlation between
body image and self-esteem. To achieve those objectives, the researcher adopted
the descriptive research method. The sample included (400) female students
whose average age was (22.5) years, selected by using a simple random sample.
The study was conducted by administering three scales. The results of the study
indicated that (50%) of the sample suffered from the selfie addiction between
moderate to severe levels. There was a significant correlation between selfie
addiction, self-esteem and body image. Moreover, it was found that both body
image and self-esteem had a predictive ability to increase likelihood of selfie
addiction among females. The study recommended that professionals should
consider preparing prevention programs for those who have traits of a selfie
addiction behavior.
In the Eastern nations, taking pictures for memories was not a big part of the culture, until selfies came into existence. Today, taking a picture of yourself (selfies) has become a phenomenon worldwide, especially among females at young ages. In the past few years, a great number of individuals, practiced taking selfies for themselves, which made the phenomenon of the selfies one of the interesting topics for researchers in the socio-psychological field. As a result, some research was conducted to examine this phenomenon and its relationship with individuals’ personalities and their self-esteems [1]. Recently scholars have started to examine selfie-related behavior, with an emphasis on young women. However, few studies have focused on individual's selfie considering different variables such as a close friend, body image and self-esteem of young females. Concerning the rapid growth of investigation regarding self-photographing, which is considered as an aspect of social media and social networking sites, that has been a common phenomenon in everyday life. On the other hand,mobile phones and smart devices that have recently attracted millions of people all over the globe, emphasized by remarkable developments in the technology, have enhanced the individuals to communicate with each other, create personal profiles, in addition to post pictures and photos. Thus, social ties seem to be growing particularly among fresh university students across cultures [2].
To many researchers, taking selfies is rather controversial issue. The
American Psychiatric Association (APA), confirmed that taking selfies is a
mental disorder. Some psychologists view selfies as a form of obsessive
compulsive disorder. However, there are some positive aspect of taking selfies
as it is a kind of self-exploration and communication.
This current research seeks to answer the following questions:
·
What the level of selfie addiction
among fresh female students in Ahfad University?
·
Is there any significant correlation
between selfie addiction, self-esteem, and body image?
·
Can selfie addiction be predicted
by self-esteem and body image?
General: To identify the prevalence of selfie addiction in fresh female students.
Specific: To highlight the nature of relationship between selfie addiction,
self-esteem, and body image.
Hypotheses
·
Selfie addiction among fresh female students was
significantly moderate.
·
There was a significant correlation between selfie addiction,
self-esteem, and body image.
·
Body image and self-esteem could predict selfie addiction.
Selfies
addiction and Self-esteem
A selfie is a
picture that is taken by an individual to himself without the assistance of
others, by using a fast self-portrait made with a smartphone or webcam that can
be immediately posted and distributed into a social media. According to Oxford
Dictionaries, “Selfie.” is the word of the year for 2013, and the word was
invented to describe the act of taking self-portrait and sharing it on social
networks. Taking and sharing selfies have become common with the advent of
various smart devices and social media [3]. As the phenomenon of taking and sharing selfies
has become widespread between individuals around the world, several researchers
have studied selfies from different socio-psychological perspectives. These
studies can be classified into two main categories: studies that investigate
how personality traits are related to selfies, and studies that investigate how
people socially perceive selfies. Erik Erikson’s model of ego development
encompasses a series of eight psychosocial tasks that intensify to a crisis or
turning point in an ordered sequence extending across the life cycle. The
majority of freshmen students fall in Erikson’s fifth developmental stage which
is the age between 12 and 18 years. This stage is described as the stage of (Identity vs. Role Confusion).
During this stage of adolescence, children explore their independence and
develop a sense of self. If this stage, went successfully, then an individual
will develop an ability to stay true to oneself, have positive self-esteem and
clear identity. However, a failure leads to confusion and a weak self-image.
adolescence who don't have a strong sense of their own identity can easily get
influenced by others around them, especially peers. This stage is critical
because if they get wrongly influenced by peers they can easily get into awful
habits [4]. In this research, looking from the lens of the human developmental
theory was imperative as it provides a clear explanation of the characteristics
of individuals at freshman students’ developmental stage in specific as well as
clarifying the logic behind their behaviors and looking in-depth into the
surrounding components that influence them. Moreover, understanding human
development stages theory is beneficial to support this study with a strong
recommendation on how to deal with any conflict that might appear in these
development stages professionally. Personal identity and a sense of self
are the main concerns for adolescence during their developmental stages, which
is the stage of a transition from childhood to adulthood. If this stage went
successfully, individuals will turn into their adulthood stage with a clear
vision of their identities and a high sense of self, otherwise, individuals
might experience an identity crisis that will negatively impact their
self-esteem and self-identity. The issue of low self-esteem and identity
concern can emerge on individuals via different external behaviors. Past studies
had found that talking a lot of selfies can be one of the behaviors that
indicate a divergence on an individual’s self-esteem. In an exploratory study
consisted of 15 in-depth interviews with women who were 19-30 years of age, the
searchers found that the issue of self-esteem can explain the behavior of
taking a lot of selfies, in which woman who is deeply engaged in taking a lot
of selfies is for the purpose of enhancing their self-esteem. Moreover, a
recent study conducted, found a positive correlation between the selfie posting
behavior and the negative self-esteem of individuals, and people with high
self-esteem do not get to be involved in selfie posting behavior. The image of
the body is found to be a concern for individuals at the adolescent age and it
plays a significant role in their self-esteem. When they are satisfied with
their body image, their confidence level upsurge, thus, a low self-esteem and
depressive signs emerge in their behaviors. A study that was conducted examined
body image concerns and its impact on the issue of self-esteem in male and
female college students and found that the contingent self-esteem issue is
positively correlated with a more negative body image concerns, and it would be
more evident among female college students compared to male college students.
In a similar study, indicated that body image is a combination that depends
upon inner biological and psychological components and is it an important
aspect of the individual's self-esteem and mental health across their lifetime.
Longitudinal students had addressed the impact of a negative view of the body
image on individuals with considering their ages and genders [6]. However, less research
attention has been directed toward a translation of this internal, unconscious,
self-esteem conflict into more obvious external behaviors. Thus, this study
came to spot the light on the phenomena of the intensive selfies behaviors that
young adults are involved in these days to seek a better understanding of the
phenomenon of selfies, particularly in relation to the body image and
self-esteem of young females.
Selfie
addiction and body image
Taking
a lot of selfies is one of the behaviors that searchers in the field had found
to be an indication of the dissatisfaction toward individuals’ body image and a
sign of low self-esteem. Their experimental study that women who reported to
have a lower perception of their physical appearance and attractiveness tend to
take and post more selfie compared to others who are more satisfied with their
body image. From another angle, previous researches have also found that
compared to men, women tend to be engaged in more photo-enhancement behaviors
for a positive self-presentations and it was concluded that taking and posting
a selfie is a risk behavior that can negatively impact young women's body image
and self-esteem [8]. In a
similar study, a group of researchers has found that the concern about photo
manipulation and selfie posting pictures might be risky associated with body
dissatisfaction for both men and women at the same level [9].
Study design
The researcher adopted the descriptive
research methodology in which self-report measures can be used on accurately
selected samples. It is a flexible method that can also be utilized to study a
wide range of basic and applied researches.
Participants
The participants were (400) fresh female
students at Ahfad university of women, which was established in 1966, and it is
a private women's university in Omdurman- Sudan. They ranged in age from 19-24
years old (M=22.5, SD=0.61), and their GPAs ranged from (80% to 98.8%). These
participants were selected through simple random sampling. They all have a
selfie camera in their mobile phones.
Instruments
Selfie addiction scale: The selfie addiction scale was prepared
electronically by the researcher. After matching items with selfie addiction
symptoms in International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), and after
reviewing previous studies, to ensure understanding or modification of the
items. The exploratory experiment was conducted on a sample of 12 students. It
consists of 16 items, all of the self-report type, which individuals respond to
in the light of a 5-point Likert-Type scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes,
4=Often, and 5= Always), and the higher scores indicate a high level of
intensity and frequency for selfie behavior. The total score ranges from 16 - 80 scores. The validity
of the scale was confirmed by the internal consistency through the correlation
between each item and total score ranged between (40 and 69), which indicates
the validity of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all 16-items
was (0.87), and split-half coefficient was (0.82) [10].
Body image scale: This scale was developed,
consisting (27)items and is located in two dimensions: First: a person's perception of his body, which is positive or
negative, and includes the following items: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13,
16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26. Second:
Person's perception of his body through the views of others such as family,
friends and colleagues, and includes the following items: 3, 8, 11, 14, 15, 18,
22, 27. All items was self-report type, which individuals respond to in the light
of a 5-point Likert-Type scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, and 5=
Always), and the higher scores indicate a high level of Positive body image and
satisfaction with the shape of his body. The total score ranges between 27- 80 score. The validity
of the scale was confirmed by the internal consistency through the correlation
between each item and the total score ranged between (0.29 and 0.73),
indicating validity of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all
27-items was (0.88), and the split-half coefficient was 0.87.
Self-esteem scale: This scale was developed by
Youssef (2011), consisting
(14) items. All items were self-report type, which individuals respond
to in the light of 5-point Likert-Type scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes,
4=Often, and 5= Always), and the higher scores indicate a high level of A high
sense of self-worth or personal value. The total score ranges between 14-70 score. The validity
of the scale was confirmed by the internal consistency through the correlation
between each item and the total score ranged between (0.44 and 0.68),
indicating validity of the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all
14-items was (0.85), and the split-half coefficient was (0.76).
For
analyzing the data gleaned from the study, the researchers employed (SPSS),
using the following statistical methods: Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and
multiple regression.
The level of selfie addiction among fresh female students at Ahfad University was interpreted in terms of three categories. These categories were as follows: Mild selfie addiction (16 - 37), Moderate selfie addiction (38-53), Severe selfie addiction (54 -80). In light of these criteria, the frequency and percentage of the distribution of participants in selfie addiction were identified, as shown in both (Table 1, Figure 1). The result indicated that the largest category of selfie addiction is mild (200 students; 50%). the students did not demonstrate selfie addiction on the scale. Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant correlation between selfie addiction, self-esteem, and body image.
Table 1: Shows the level of selfie addiction among female students (N = 400).
Level of selfie addiction |
Frequency (n) |
Percentage (%) |
Mild |
200 |
50% |
Moderate |
130 |
33% |
Severe |
70 |
17% |
Total |
400 |
100% |
Table 2: Pearson's Correlation between selfie addiction, self-esteem, and body image.
Variables |
R |
P. value |
Selfie addiction |
.78** |
.05 |
Self-esteem |
.77** |
.05 |
Body image |
.65** |
.05 |
** Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). |
Table 3: Multiple Regression Analysis of predictors.
Predictors |
Model 1(SA) |
Model 2(SE) |
Model 3(BI) |
|
b t |
b t |
b t |
S A |
12* 2.57 |
.20* 4.17 |
.09 1.88 |
S E |
14* 3.21 |
.31*** 5.11 |
.08 1.77 |
B I |
15** 4.31 |
.54** 6.21 |
.09* 1.99 |
R2 |
.03** |
.08*** |
.14** |
F |
3.86 |
11.65 |
17.44 |
SA: selfie addiction; SE:
self-esteem; BI: body image. P* ? .05; P** ? .01; P*** ? .0001 |
Figure 1: The mutual effects of both self-esteem and body image on selfie addiction.
The results of
the first hypothesis indicated that the participants are involved in this
behavior in a level between moderate to severe, which supported the previous
studies that presented the selfie addiction as a current phenomenon that needs to
be considered from a psychological perspective (Wang, Yang, & Haigh, 2017).
This is an indication for their psychosocial adjustment, i.e., despite their
use of mobile, they did not suffer from selfie addiction. In the next largest
category of moderate selfie addiction (130 students; 33%). This category might
benefit from some prevention programs so that the risk factors do not increase
their degree of selfie addiction. The last category of severe selfie addiction
(70 students; 17%), includes those who need treatment programs, either
individual or group psychotherapy to reduce the level of selfie addiction [11].
Concerning the result of the second hypothesis, it was found that there was a
significant correlation between selfie addiction, self-esteem and body image.
At the adolescence developmental stage, friendship is valuable and it is
considered the main source of influence and major support in life [12]. Moreover, this
finding supported by other researchers who found that body satisfaction is one
of the main factors that influence individuals’ self-esteem. Children’s
self-esteem is influenced by their body image and physical appearance and as
they grow up into adolescence and adulthood, individuals’ self-esteem is
directly related to how they perceive their body satisfaction [13]. One
of the major findings of the study showed that the positive body image has a
predictive ability to increase selfie addiction. This interesting finding was
different than many previous studies that found a tendency from individuals
with a lower perception of their physical appearance and body image to take
more selfie compared to others who are more satisfied with their body image
[8]. However, in this current study, the finding can be explained that
individuals at these developmental stages who are satisfied by their physical
appearance, tend to use tools such as selfie to share this notion of themselves
with others. Thus, the reason that people with positive body image tend to take
more selfies could be because they needed constant attention, social validation
and they relied too much on the response of others to maintain their high
self-esteem. The third hypothesis's result found that Body image and
self-esteem could predict selfie addiction. Self-esteem is defined as an
individual’s overall self-evaluation of one’s worth. According, the
individuals’ self-esteem expresses the evaluation and the respect they make to
themselves. When individuals are internally satisfied, they do not need to be
involved in any external behavior or fake tools for self- presentation [14].
Many previous studies have supported this finding as they presented a
relationship between taking a lot of selfies and having low self-esteem. In a
similar study that was conducted, the result showed that 60% of the females who
are involved in the behaviors of taking a lot of selfies admitted having low
self-esteem. In a similar result, found a positive correlation between the selfie
posting behavior and the negative self-esteem of individuals, and people with
high self-esteem do not get to be involved in selfie posting behavior. Thus,
individuals who have high self-esteem do not use tools such as selfies for
self-representation because they are internally satisfied [15,16].
This research was conducted to investigate the
level of selfie addiction among fresh female students. The study revealed that
50% of participants were moderately addicted to selfies. The result also found
that there was a positive correlation between selfie addiction, body image and
self-esteem. Further, it
was found that both self-esteem and body image were predictors to increase
selfie addiction among female students.
·
It is important for mental health professionals to explore
how the individual uses selfies as an important part of a mental health
assessment.
·
Attempts need to be made at personal and societal levels to
reduce selfie addiction among females.
·
Health professionals need to provide healthy ways for addicts
to spend their time [17,18].
·
An in depth study can be done using
a more representative samples.
·
Large surveys and quantitative
analysis with more relevant variables such as gender and age will give precise
results.
·
A cross-cultural study should be
carried out to investigate the prevalence of selfie addiction among the youth.