Authors
Honglei Gu, Yuhang Hu, Yiran Jia, Yufang Cheng, Jie Fang
Published in
Eating disorders. Pages 1-17. Sep 09, 2026. Epub Sep 09, 2026.
Abstract
With the rapid proliferation of short-video platforms, concerns about their impact on mental health-particularly eating disorders-have intensified. However, little is known about the bidirectional associations between short-video media use and eating disorder symptoms, or the emotional mechanisms underlying these links. Using an intensive longitudinal design, this study collected daily data over 21 consecutive days from 200 Chinese college students. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was employed to examine reciprocal relationships between short-video media use and eating disorder symptoms, as well as the mediating role of negative emotions at both within-person and between-person levels. At the within-person level, short-video media use and eating disorder symptoms demonstrated a mutually reinforcing relationship, with negative emotions mediating this bidirectional association. At the between-person level, both constructs indirectly predicted one another through negative emotions, although direct effects were nonsignificant. These findings suggest a potential self-reinforcing cycle between short-video media use and eating disorder symptoms, highlight the important mediating role of negative emotions, and demonstrate the methodological value of a 21-day daily diary design for capturing the bidirectional associations between these constructs, with practical implications for promoting emotional regulation and healthier digital engagement among college students.
PMID:
42717483
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Sep 2026.
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