Abstract:

Purpose: Social appearance anxiety is the fear that one will be negatively evaluated by others because of one’s appearance. This study aimed to determine the factors affecting social appearance anxiety in the first-year university students studying in the field of health. Materials and methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of first-year students from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation and Vocational School of Health Services. The data were collected by a questionnaire created by the researchers, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Oxford Happiness Scale-Short Form. Results: 836 students participated in the study. The average score of social appearance anxiety of the students participating in the study was found to be 32.5±12.7. Social appearance anxiety of students who lived in a village in their childhood, whose parents died or separated, who perceive their physical and mental health as "bad", who are overweight or obese, who have negative social relationships with their friends, who care about the number of likes on social media, who have low self-esteem was found to be high (p<0.05). As the social appearance anxiety of the student increased, his happiness level decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: The environment in which the students grew up, their social relationships, body mass index, self-esteem, and perception of happiness affected social appearance anxiety. It is recommended to provide an educational environment that protects the mental health of young people and increases their self-confidence to reduce students' anxiety and increase their positive feelings such as self-esteem and happiness. Providing social facilities in schools can be beneficial in the development of the mental health of students and increase their self-confidence by socializing.

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