Background: Social media plays an important role in shaping body image and self-perception, particularly among appearance-sensitive groups such as athletes. Although problematic social media use has been linked to body image outcomes through processes such as social comparison, self-presentation, and evaluation sensitivity, these mechanisms remain underexplored among athletes with physical disabilities. This study aimed to examine the associations between social media use, addictive use patterns, and body image perception in this population, with a focus on these underlying psychological mechanisms. Methods: A total of 165 athletes with physical disability participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. Data were collected through online surveys, including demographic questions, the Athlete Social Media Use Scale (content creation, usage frequency, and social media addiction subdimensions), and the Body Image Scale (negative perception, evaluation sensitivity, positive perception, and body modification). Parametric tests, correlation analyses, and group comparisons were performed to assess relationships between social media behaviors and body image dimensions. Results: Problematic social media use was moderately associated with higher negative body image and lower positive body image among athletes with physical disabilities (r = 0.32–0.41, all p < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that overall social media use was a significant predictor of body image perception after controlling for demographic variables (β ≈ 0.45, p < 0.001), explaining approximately 19.5% of the variance. Mediation analyses using bootstrapping revealed that these psychological mechanisms partially mediated the relationship between problematic social media use and body image perceptions, with small-to-moderate indirect effects, indicating both statistical and practical significance. Conclusion: The findings indicate that not only general social media use but also addictive and problematic usage patterns are linked to vulnerable aspects of body image among athletes with physical disabilities. Increased exposure to idealized digital representations and upward social comparison processes may heighten sensitivity to external evaluation and undermine positive body perception. These results highlight the need for digital literacy initiatives, psychoeducational interventions, and supportive online environments that promote healthier social media engagement and body image among disabled athletes.
Erayabakan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.