Moderation effects of perceived resilience on the relationship between screen time, unstructured socializing, and self-perceived overweight

Objective Research has shown that social factors like peer networks and screen time exposure have a critical role in personal perceptions of weight. This study examined the relationships between television, computer/video games exposure, unstructured socializing (UnS), perceived resilience (PR), self-perceived overweight (SPO), and misperceptions of overweight (MO) in early adulthood. Method Data were obtained from Add Health, a public use sample of 2033 men and 2336 women 18-26 years old (M = 21.81 years; SD = 1.80). Binary logistic regression was used for all data analyses. Hesmer-Lemeshow and Wald test statistics were reported to compare binary logit models. Nagelkerke pseudo-R2 was computed for effect sizes. Results The results showed that TV had a positive effect on SPO and MO. Gender-specific patterns were found in SPO and MO that women were more likely to overestimate their weight than men, and men were more likely to have MO compared to women. The results yielded that the effect of PR on SPO is significant at .001 level. The moderator effect of PR was statistically significant only for the relationship between computer/video games exposure and SPO. Conclusion Reducing TV exposure might be a protective factor to prevent weight misperceptions. Further studies are needed to examine the effects of low, moderate, and high levels of leisure-based ST and gender-specific resilience strength programs on weight misperceptions.