Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion
Online social comparisons play a vital role in adolescents and young adults’ self-development. This study extended research on the influence of online social comparisons on self-concept clarity among college freshmen. This study investigated the mediating role of rumination in the relationship betwe...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/849 |
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| author | Sujie Kang Qian Gu Wen Qin Sanming Liu Yukang Xue Qishan Zheng Chuanhua Gu Yuqi Cao |
| author_facet | Sujie Kang Qian Gu Wen Qin Sanming Liu Yukang Xue Qishan Zheng Chuanhua Gu Yuqi Cao |
| author_sort | Sujie Kang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Online social comparisons play a vital role in adolescents and young adults’ self-development. This study extended research on the influence of online social comparisons on self-concept clarity among college freshmen. This study investigated the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between online social comparisons and self-concept clarity among college freshmen and further examined the moderating effect of self-compassion on this mediational pathway. A sample of 975 Chinese university freshmen were recruited to complete the Online Social Comparisons Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, Rumination Scale and Self-Compassion Scale. The results indicated that among college freshmen, online social comparisons can negatively impact self-concept clarity both directly and indirectly through rumination. Self-compassion moderated the effect of rumination on self-concept clarity. Compared to college freshmen with high self-compassion, those with low self-compassion showed a steeper decline in self-concept clarity as rumination increased. This study not only uncovers the psychological mechanisms through which online social comparison damages self-concept clarity but also provides empirical support for universities to develop targeted psychological health intervention programs based on self-compassion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5840f11bdfa0433095238d7e92d9d52b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5840f11bdfa0433095238d7e92d9d52b2025-08-20T02:45:37ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-06-0115784910.3390/bs15070849Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-CompassionSujie Kang0Qian Gu1Wen Qin2Sanming Liu3Yukang Xue4Qishan Zheng5Chuanhua Gu6Yuqi Cao7Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, ChinaSchool of Educational Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, ChinaMental Health Education Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaDepartment of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, SUNY 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USAKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, ChinaKey Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, ChinaOnline social comparisons play a vital role in adolescents and young adults’ self-development. This study extended research on the influence of online social comparisons on self-concept clarity among college freshmen. This study investigated the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between online social comparisons and self-concept clarity among college freshmen and further examined the moderating effect of self-compassion on this mediational pathway. A sample of 975 Chinese university freshmen were recruited to complete the Online Social Comparisons Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, Rumination Scale and Self-Compassion Scale. The results indicated that among college freshmen, online social comparisons can negatively impact self-concept clarity both directly and indirectly through rumination. Self-compassion moderated the effect of rumination on self-concept clarity. Compared to college freshmen with high self-compassion, those with low self-compassion showed a steeper decline in self-concept clarity as rumination increased. This study not only uncovers the psychological mechanisms through which online social comparison damages self-concept clarity but also provides empirical support for universities to develop targeted psychological health intervention programs based on self-compassion.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/849online social comparisonsself-concept clarityruminationself-compassioncollege freshmen |
| spellingShingle | Sujie Kang Qian Gu Wen Qin Sanming Liu Yukang Xue Qishan Zheng Chuanhua Gu Yuqi Cao Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion Behavioral Sciences online social comparisons self-concept clarity rumination self-compassion college freshmen |
| title | Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion |
| title_full | Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion |
| title_fullStr | Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion |
| title_short | Do College Freshmen Who Engage More in Online Social Comparison Tend to Be More Confused About Themselves? The Roles of Rumination and Self-Compassion |
| title_sort | do college freshmen who engage more in online social comparison tend to be more confused about themselves the roles of rumination and self compassion |
| topic | online social comparisons self-concept clarity rumination self-compassion college freshmen |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/849 |
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