Social Media Usage and Appearance-related Consciousness among Nursing Students

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationship between social media usage and appearance-related consciousness among student nurses in Iloilo Doctors’ College. A descriptive-correlational research design was utilized with data collected from January to February 2026. A total of 325 first-, second-, third-, and fourth year student nurses were selected using stratified random sampling technique to ensure proportional distribution across year levels. Data were collected using two standardized instruments: the Social Media Usage Scale (SMUS) to assess how frequently student nurses engage in social media platforms, and the Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale (ASMC) to assess how often they think about, worry about, or pay attention to their physical appearance on social media. To ensure content validity, both instruments were reviewed by experts in the nursing education and research department for relevance, clarity and appropriateness within the local context. The Reliability testing was conducted through a pilot study involving those respondents who were not included in the final data gathering. The instruments demonstrated high internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.91 (SMUS) and 0.97 (ASMC) indicating excellent reliability. Ethical clearance was obtained to ensure the protection of participants’ rights, safety, and confidentiality. The findings indicated that student nurses had a moderate level of engagement reflecting regular use of social media but not excessively in different activities depending on what kind of purpose and interaction. Statistical analysis using Spearman’s rho revealed a significant strong positive relationship between social media usage and appearance-related consciousness. Key factors contributing to the development of social media usage included watching videos, memes, contents, looking at others stories and scrolling aimlessly that lead to greater awareness and concern about physical appearance. The study concluded that social media plays a significant role among student nurses as a platform for learning, communication, self-expression and entertainment, while also shaping their perceptions and behavior. This study highlights how to encourage student nurses to develop more reflective, mindful and value-oriented participation when using social media platforms and also practice in self-awareness, limiting exposure to unrealistic beauty standards, and seeking supportive and credible content may help reduce negative psychological effects such as anxiety, body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. Expanding research in this area will contribute to the development of evidenced-based strategies that support nursing students’ mental health, professional growth and holistic well-being in the digital age.