How does negative appearance perception amongst high school students in East China contribute to their social avoidance issue

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of negative appearance perception on the social avoidance behavior of high school students in East China, and focused on the mediating role of self-esteem. Through a mixed method combining quantitative investigation (N=100) and qualitative interviews (N=5), the research shows that the higher the level of negative appearance perception among teenagers, the stronger the tendency of social avoidance and the lower the level of self-esteem. The gender differences are obvious. Compared with men, female students report significantly higher levels of appearance-related anxiety and social avoidance. Through Pearson correlation analysis and mediation model analysis, it was found that self-esteem plays a partial mediating role between negative appearance perception and social avoidance, accounting for 15.6% of the variance. The research results highlight the significance of interventions that promote positive body image and self-acceptance. Although this study provides valuable insights, its regional focus and gender imbalance in the sampling indicate the approach for future research on a more diverse population.