The relationship between virtual learning during the COVID-19 lockdown and body image disturbances among college students.

OBJECTIVE

College students tend to have lower body image than other groups, in part because of comparisons they make with peers. The closing of college campuses due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the ability to compare; thus, we investigate how the transition to and from virtual-learning influenced body image.

PARTICIPANTS

Third- and fourth-year undergraduates (N = 103) at a private university.

METHOD: In Fall 2021, undergraduates retrospectively indicated their frequency of body talk, body surveillance, and restrained eating behaviors before the pandemic, during virtual-schooling, and upon returning to campus.

RESULTS

Repeated-measures ANOVAs showed that virtual-schooling was associated with less body surveillance and fewer restrained eating behaviors than pre-COVID; and for students who lived at home (versus with friends), pre-COVID was associated with more body talk behaviors.

CONCLUSION

This study provides insights into how virtual-schooling may mitigate some of the risk factors for body image disturbances.