Open Access

ARTICLE

The Influence of Vulnerable Narcissism on Social Anxiety among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Concept Clarity and Self-Esteem

by Yuetan Wang^1,2,*, Xianle Yan^1,2, Lili Liu^1,2, Xiran Lu^1,2, Lan Luo^1,2, Xiaobin Ding^1,2,*

1 Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health of Gansu Province, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
2 School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

* Corresponding Authors: Yuetan Wang. Email: ; Xiaobin Ding. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Social Stress, Adversity, and Mental Health in Transitional China)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2024, 26(6), 429-438. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.050445

Received 06 February 2024; Accepted 24 April 2024; Issue published 28 June 2024

Abstract

Social anxiety (SA) is a prevalent mental health issue among adolescents, and vulnerable narcissism (VN) can exacerbate this condition. This study aims to investigate the impact of vulnerable narcissism on social anxiety in adolescents, specifically focusing on the mediating effects of self-concept clarity (SCC) and self-esteem (SE) in the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and social anxiety. Through cluster sampling, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 982 students from three secondary schools in two provinces. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between vulnerable narcissism and both self-concept clarity and self-esteem, while there was a significant positive correlation between vulnerable narcissism and social anxiety. Additionally, self-concept clarity showed a significant positive correlation with self-esteem but had a negative correlation with social anxiety. Both self-concept clarity and self-esteem played an intermediary role in the chain linking vulnerable narcissism to social anxiety. This study confirms the mediating role of both self-concept clarity and self-esteem in explaining how vulnerable narcissism influences social anxiety, providing valuable insights into its underlying mechanism.

---

Keywords

---