%0 Journal Article
%T The interplay of self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in adolescent mental health: cross-sectional study.
%A Ruan QN
%A Shen GH
%A Yang JS
%A Yan WJ
%J BJPsych Open
%V 9
%N 6
%D 2023 Oct 27
%M 37886819
%F 5.165
%R 10.1192/bjo.2023.594
%X BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a pivotal stage vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Although self-acceptance and social comparison are known to affect adolescent mental health, their interactive and moderating roles are not fully understood.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in predicting these mental health outcomes among adolescents in clinical settings.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 242 adolescents. Participants completed measures assessing self-acceptance, social comparison, attributional style and mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety). Mediation models and multi-group analysis were used to examine the relationships among these variables.
RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated a significant relationship between self-acceptance, social comparison, depression and anxiety (rs = 0.32-0.88). Specifically, lower self-acceptance and higher social comparison were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Additionally, individuals with external attributional tendencies reported higher depression (Cohen's d = 0.61) and anxiety (d = 0.58) compared with those with internal tendencies. Mediation modelling showed that social comparison is a mediator between self-acceptance and depression (effect size -0.04, 95% CI -0.08 to -0.01) and anxiety (effect size -0.06, 95% CI -0.10 to -0.02). Crucially, multi-group analysis showed that the impact of social comparison on mental health outcomes varied significantly based on attributional style.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of considering self-acceptance, social comparison and attributional style in understanding and addressing mental health challenges during adolescence. This could inform the development of targeted interventions to promote mental health and well-being among adolescents. However, further research is needed to confirm these findings in diverse populations and to explore the underlying mechanisms in greater detail.