Online Trauma Content’s Role in Eating Disorder

Abstract

The current study explored how young people’s development of eating disorders is linked to trauma-related discomfort and their exposure to distressing content online. With the rise of social media, individuals are encountering more troubling digital material, which may impact their eating behaviors and mental well-being. The research involved 100 college students, evenly split between 50 males and 50 females, all aged 18 to 25, using a quantitative, cross- sectional approach. Participants completed three standardized assessments: the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-O) to measure the severity of eating disorders, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to evaluate trauma symptoms, and the Social Media Engagement Questionnaire (SMEQ) to assess their online interactions.