1. Fitspiration content on social media can lead to negative psychological effects, including exercise addiction, body dissatisfaction and objectification, appearance-related anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-esteem issues, excessive control of eating habits, use of enhancing drugs, and poor quality of life.
2. The trend emerged as a healthy alternative to thinspiration but often promotes unrealistic and unattainable body images that can be harmful to young people below 25 years old.
3. Additional research is needed to determine the extent of harm caused by fitspiration content and develop preventive mental health strategies.
The article "Fitspiration on social media: Body-image and other psychopathological risks among young adults. A narrative review" provides a comprehensive overview of the potential negative psychological effects associated with fitspiration contents on social media. The authors conducted a narrative literature search to analyze the phenomenon under a qualitative perspective, focusing on young people (10-24 years old), young adults (19-24 years old), and adolescents (14-18 years old) interacting with fitspiration contents.
The article highlights various factors related to psychopathological risks associated with exposure to fitspiration contents, including exercise addiction and compulsive exercise, body dissatisfaction and objectification, appearance-related anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-esteem, excessive control of eating habits, use of enhancing drugs, and quality of life. The authors provide evidence from various studies that suggest that fitspiration contents often portray distressful themes that can lead to unhealthy thoughts and behaviors such as body image and eating disturbances, excessive exercising, misuse of supplements.
The article is well-written and provides valuable insights into the potential negative psychological effects associated with fitspiration trends on social media. However, there are some limitations to the study that need to be considered. Firstly, the authors only focused on studies published in English language from 2010 to present. This may have resulted in missing out on relevant studies published before 2010 or in languages other than English.
Secondly, while the authors provide evidence linking fitspiration trends on social media to mental health disturbances among young people below 25-year-old, they do not explore the potential positive effects of such trends. For instance, some individuals may find motivation and inspiration from such content to adopt healthier lifestyles or improve their physical fitness levels.
Thirdly, the article does not provide an in-depth analysis of the potential biases or sources of bias in the studies reviewed. For instance, some studies may have been conducted by researchers who have preconceived notions about fitspiration trends or may have used biased sampling methods.
In conclusion, while this article provides valuable insights into the potential negative psychological effects associated with fitspiration trends on social media among young people below 25-year-old; it is important to consider its limitations when interpreting its findings. Further research is required to determine both positive and negative impacts of such trends on mental health outcomes among different age groups and genders.