Zooming in: The relationship between appearance concerns and perceived performance whilst videoconferencing among Australian adults

Hannah K Jarman; Ivanka Prichard; Zali Yager; Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz; Siân A McLean; Stephanie Damiano; Isabel Krug; Deborah Mitchison; Jasmine Fardouly; Sarah Giles; Laura Hart

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.12.007

Zooming in: The relationship between appearance concerns and perceived performance whilst videoconferencing among Australian adults

Body Image. 2023 Mar:44:170-177. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.12.007. Epub 2023 Jan 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia. Electronic address: h.jarman@deakin.edu.au.
² Health & Exercise Science, College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia; Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia Institute for Health and Sport, Australia.
³ Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia.
⁵ School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
⁶ School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
⁷ Translational Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia; Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
⁸ School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

PMID: 36640689
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.12.007

Abstract

Videoconferencing for work/study purposes has increased rapidly due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Given this practice often involves viewing one's own video image, higher appearance concerns whilst videoconferencing may be linked to poorer performance whereby individuals may not feel they are able to engage or have control during a work/study meeting. The present study cross-sectionally examined whether both facial appearance concerns and fear of negative evaluation during videoconferencing for work/study purposes were directly and indirectly related to performance control and engagement, through self-focused attention and appearance distraction. Adult participants (N = 534, M_age = 26.32, SD = 11.08; 78% female) completed an online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Path analysis revealed direct and indirect effects, suggesting that heightened appearance self-consciousness was associated with greater self- and appearance-focused attention. In turn, this was related to impaired performance during videoconferencing. Multigroup analyses demonstrated that the magnitude of the proposed correlational effects were comparable across men and women. Given the ongoing reliance on videoconferencing, these findings have important theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords: Adults; Attention; Body image; COVID-19; Performance; Videoconferencing.

MeSH terms

Adult
Australia
Body Image* / psychology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Pandemics
Videoconferencing