Associations between Facebook Use and Disordered Eating in College Women (2014)

Undergraduate: Morgan Walker

Faculty Advisor: Stephanie Zerwas
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Life as a college undergraduate comes with numerous social, psychological, academic, and physical stressors, which can often trigger disordered eating behaviors. Approximately 11-20% of college women in America are within the clinical range for disordered eating and endorsement of extreme weight control behaviors. Disordered eating behaviors can quickly spiral into eating disorders, which are severe mental illnesses with serious consequences that require psychological and medical treatment. Early intervention is most ideal for full recovery. The Internet has proven to be an effective tool in reaching out to young adults regarding mental health interventions. Today¿s college students spend much of their time on social media networks such as Facebook. The overarching goal of the present study was to survey college-aged women on their Facebook engagement and examine associations between self-reported Facebook activity and eating psychopathology. We identified individuals who may be in need of enhanced care by examining whether Facebook activity was associated with disordered eating behaviors. Ultimately, social media outlets could be used as a supplemental diagnostic tool, which could lay the groundwork for a future digital safety net to ease students into the transition away from reliance on parental monitoring of nutrition.