Social media use and cosmetic surgery consideration among Chinese university students: a cross-sectional test of serial mediation through beauty ideal internalization and self-objectification
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background With the proliferation of social media, cosmetic surgery consideration has become increasingly prominent among university students, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study examines the association between social media use and university students’ cosmetic surgery consideration and tests a theoretically specified serial mediation pattern involving beauty ideal internalization and self-objectification. Methods This cross-sectional online survey used convenience sampling to recruit 1,123 Chinese university students. Data were collected using the Social media use Intensity Scale, Cosmetic Surgery Consideration Scale, Beauty Ideal Internalization Scale, and Self-Objectification Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and serial mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0, and the statistical significance of the indirect associations was evaluated using bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Results (1) Social media use showed a statistically significant positive association with cosmetic surgery consideration. (2) The indirect association through beauty ideal internalization was positive and statistically significant. (3) The self-objectification-only indirect association was statistically significant but negative, opposite to the hypothesized positive direction. (4) A statistically significant positive serial indirect association was observed, with social media use associated with beauty ideal internalization, which was positively associated with self-objectification, which in turn was positively associated with cosmetic surgery consideration. The direct association was negative after the mediators were included, indicating an inconsistent mediation pattern that may involve statistical suppression. Conclusion These findings suggest that general self-reported social media use intensity was associated with cosmetic surgery consideration through multiple indirect associations rather than a single linear pattern. Beauty ideal internalization showed a positive specific indirect association, whereas the self-objectification-only indirect association was negative; the serial indirect association was positive. The small zero-order association (r = 0.102) and the simple-model R 2 = 0.0105 further indicate that statistical significance should not be interpreted as a large practical effect. The observed inconsistent mediation may reflect countervailing statistical associations. These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of social media's complex psychological associations with body image and cosmetic surgery consideration among university students.
Source: Frontiers in Communication
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,418
OpenAlex ID: W7215780302