Body image disturbance as a predictor of social anxiety and self-concealment among female students university

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The present study aimed to explore the levels of body image disturbance, social anxiety, and self-concealment among a sample of female students at UMM Al-Qura University, and to examine the correlational and predictive relationships between these variables. The study employed a descriptive-analytical (correlational-predictive) design, utilizing three researcher-developed instruments (2026): The Body Image Disturbance Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale, and the Self-Concealment Scale. The main sample consisted of 322 randomly selected students, while an exploratory sample of 120 students was used to verify the psychometric properties of the tools. Results indicated that the level of body image disturbance was low across its emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions. Social anxiety was also low, while self-concealment showed a moderate level, with relatively higher scores in secret-keeping behaviors compared to fear of disclosure. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships among all variables, with social anxiety strongly correlated with body image disturbance and self-concealment moderately correlated. Simple linear regression analyses indicated that both social anxiety and self-concealment significantly predicted body image disturbance, explaining 39.4% and 23.1% of the variance, respectively. The study concluded that social anxiety and self-concealment are important predictors of body image disturbance among female students, suggesting that enhancing psychological adaptation and self-awareness may help reduce body image disturbance and improve students’ mental well-being.