Orthorexia nervosa and its relationship with social media addiction and emotional intelligence
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: **Objective:** The aim was to examine the relationship between orthorexia nervosa (ON), social media addiction, and emotional intelligence. **Method:** This cross-sectional study included 277 patients aged 18–50 years who attended a Health Sciences University Family Medicine clinic between June 1 and August 1, 2023. Participants completed a sociodemographic form, the ORTO-11 Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale-Adult Form (SMAS-AF), and Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS). Binary logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of ON tendency, and multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the association between SEIS and SMAS-AF scores after adjustment for relevant covariates. **Results:** The median age was 27 (20–50) years, and 57% of participants were female. SEIS scores were negatively correlated with SMAS-AF scores (p = 0.004), whereas ORTO-11 scores were not significantly correlated with either SEIS or SMAS-AF scores. Age was positively correlated with ORTO-11 scores and negatively correlated with SMAS-AF scores (both p < 0.001), but was not significantly associated with SEIS scores. In binary logistic regression, female gender was independently associated with ON tendency (OR=2.184, 95% CI: 1.176–4.056, p=0.013). In adjusted linear regression, higher SEIS scores remained significantly associated with lower SMAS-AF scores (B=-0.171, 95% CI: -0.273 to -0.068, p = 0.001). **Conclusions:** ON tendency was not significantly associated with social media addiction or emotional intelligence. Female gender was independently associated with ON tendency, while emotional intelligence was inversely associated with social media addiction after covariate adjustment.
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223878793