TITLE:
Exposure to Mental Health Content on TikTok: Associations with Mood Disturbance and Body Image among Young Adult Women
AUTHORS:
Morgan G. Groover, H. Russell Searight
KEYWORDS:
Social Media, Self-Diagnosis, Social Contagion, Self-Esteem, Body Image, Emerging Adult Women
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Depression,
Vol.15 No.3,
July
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, with more than 1.8 billion users worldwide. Because many users are adolescents and young adults, increasing concern has emerged regarding the platform’s potential psychological effects. College-aged women may be particularly vulnerable because this developmental period is characterized by identity formation, social comparison, and heightened emotional sensitivity. Aim: The present study examined whether TikTok use and exposure to mental health-related content were associated with self-esteem, mood disturbance, and body image dissatisfaction among college-aged women. Materials and Methods: Participants were 151 women between the ages of 18 and 27 years. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Profile of Mood States-Short Form, and the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, along with measures assessing TikTok usage patterns and exposure to mental health-related content. Results: Greater self-reported time spent on mental health-related TikTok content was significantly associated with increased tension and depressive mood. In contrast, overall time spent on TikTok was not significantly associated with most psychological outcome variables. Exposure to mental health-related content was also associated with higher levels of depressed and anxious mood whereas self-esteem was more strongly related to body image dissatisfaction and negative mood states than to overall TikTok use. Conclusion: While the cross-sectional design does not permit causal statements, the findings suggest that the nature of TikTok content viewed may be more important than the total time spent on the platform. Exposure to mental health-related content may be associated with elevated emotional distress among emerging adult women, highlighting the importance of examining specific types of social media engagement rather than overall platform use alone.