Objective: The present meta‐analysis summarizes existing evidence on the relationship between the internalization of body shape ideals (IBSI) and body dissatisfaction.Method: Pooled effect sizes (r) were computed using a random‐effects model. The robustness of the results was examined using influence analyses. Potential predictors of effect heterogeneity were examined using subgroup analysis and univariable/multivariable meta‐regressions. Publication bias was examined using the three‐parameter selection model (3PSM).Results: A total of 141 effect‐sizes from 78 studies (N = 39,491) were retrieved. Results revealed medium (r = .25; muscular/athletic‐ideal internalization) to very large (r = .43, general attractiveness‐ideal internalization; and r = .45, thin‐ideal internalization) relationships, all these being largely similar in male and female individuals.Discussion: IBSI and body dissatisfaction were strongly linked: (a) in younger individuals (general attractiveness‐ideal internalization); (b) when IBSI was operationalized in terms of endorsement rather than mere awareness of appearance ideals; (c) in studies of lower methodological quality (muscular/athletic‐ideal internalization); and (d) when IBSI was assessed using instruments involving social comparisons. Given the largely cross‐sectional nature of data included in this meta‐analysis, further testing in prospective and experimental studies is needed to confirm hypotheses about causality of observed associations. Such findings would have impact for prevention and intervention studies.

Background and aims: The present study aimed to synthesize existing quantitative evidence on the relationship between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and academic achievement with a focus on quantifying its magnitude and examining its potential moderators.Methods: Eligible studies were searched for up to February 10, 2023 in six different databases (i.e., MEDLINE, Current Contents Connect, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SciELO, and Dissertations & Theses Global). Studies were considered eligible if they provided information derived from self-report instruments that allowed statistical calculation of the relationship between PSU and academic achievement. Pooled effect sizes (r) were computed using a random-effects model. Meta-regressions were conducted to test the influence of study-level moderators on the relationship of interest. Influence analyses and a three-parameter selection model (3PSM) were conducted to examine the robustness of the results and publication bias, respectively.Results: A total of 33 effect sizes from 29 studies (n = 48,490) were retrieved. Results showed a small effect size (r = −0.110), which tended to be larger in samples consisting of students from elementary and middle schools.Discussion and Conclusions: Findings from the present study contribute to the understanding of a potential determinant of decreased academic achievement by providing evidence that PSU may be one of them.

Background: The present study aimed to quantify the relationship between body dissatisfaction and morbid exercise behaviour (MEB). Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SciELO, and Dissertations & Theses Global were searched from inception to September 2020. Pooled effect sizes corrected for sampling errors (r⁺) were computed using a bare-bones meta-analysis. The robustness of the results was examined by influence analyses. The presence of moderators was examined by inspection of the variance in r⁺ attributable to sampling errors and 80% credibility intervals, followed by subgroup analysis and univariable/multivariable meta-regressions. Publication bias was examined by visual inspection of funnel plot symmetry, cumulative meta-analysis, and Egger’s test. Results: A total of 41 effect sizes from 33 studies (n = 8747) were retrieved. Results showed a significant and near to moderate effect size (r⁺ = 0.267, 95% CI = 0.226 to 0.307), and this did not differ by gender, BMI, age, percentage of Whites, study quality, or MEB measure. Conversely, effect sizes were found to be stronger in published and more recently conducted studies. Conclusion: The findings indicate that body dissatisfaction is one of the likely causes underlying MEB. This suggests the need for further longitudinal research aimed at confirming the potential causal nature of this relationship.

Background and aims: This study examined the relationship between self-reported symptoms of morbid exercise behaviour (MEB) and eating disorders (ED) using meta-analytic techniques.Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SciELO and Scopus. Random effects models were used to compute pooled effect sizes estimates (r). The robustness of the summarized estimates was examined through sensitivity analyses by removing studies one at a time.Results: Sixty-six studies comprising 135 effect-sizes (N = 21,816) were included. The results revealed: (a) small-sized relationship in the case of bulimic symptoms (r = 0.19), (b) small- (r = 0.28) to medium-sized relationships (r = 0.41) in the case of body/eating concerns, and (c) medium-sized relationships in the case of overall ED symptoms (r = 0.35) and dietary restraint (r = 0.42). Larger effect sizes were observed in the case of overall ED symptoms in clinical, younger, and thinner populations, as well as when employing a continuously-scored instrument for assessing ED or the Compulsive Exercise Test for assessing MEB. Larger effect sizes were also found in female samples when the ED outcome was dietary restraint.Conclusions: The identified gaps in the literature suggest that future research on the topic may benefit from: (a) considering a range of clinical (in terms of diagnosed ED) and non-clinical populations from diverse exercise modalities, (b) addressing a wide range of ED symptomatology, and (c) employing longitudinal designs that clarify the temporal direction of the relationship under consideration.

The present study's aim was to summarize existing quantitative evidence linking social physique anxiety (SPA) and eating disorders (ED). Eligible studies were searched for up to June 2, 2022 in six databases: MEDLINE, Current Contents Connect, PsycINFO, Web of Science, SciELO, and Dissertations & Theses Global. Studies were considered eligible if they included information derived from self-report instruments that allowed for computing the relationship between SPA and ED. Pooled effect sizes (r) were computed using three-level meta-analytic models. Potential sources of heterogeneity were examined using univariable and multivariable meta-regressions. Influence analyses and a three-parameter selection model (3PSM) were used for the purpose of examining the robustness of the results and publication bias, respectively. Results summarizing 170 effect sizes from 69 studies (N = 41,257) showed two main groups of findings. Firstly, that SPA and ED were very largely related (i.e., r = .51). Secondly, that this relationship was stronger (i) among individuals from Western countries, and (ii) when ED scores concerned the diagnostic feature of bulimia/anorexia nervosa involving body image disturbances. The present study adds to the current understanding of ED by suggesting that SPA is a maladaptive emotion with a potential role in the onset and maintenance of these group of pathologies.