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This research investigates how covert narcissism in mothers and adolescents relates to social media addiction via social comparison tendencies.

February 27, 2026Korean Journal of Child Studies0 citationsOpen Access

Mediating Role of Social Comparison Tendencies in the Relationship Between Covert Narcissism and Social Media Addiction Tendencies in Mothers and Adolescents: Applying the Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model

YBYe Rang Bae JLJulie Lee

Key Points

This research investigates how covert narcissism in mothers and adolescents relates to social media addiction via social comparison tendencies.
Data collected from 441 mother-adolescent pairs
Applied Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model
Performed statistical analyses including Pearson’s correlation and path model analysis using SPSS and AMOS
Mothers’ social comparison tendencies partially mediated the link between their covert narcissism and social media addiction
Adolescents’ covert narcissism influenced their social comparison and social media addiction tendencies
Mothers’ covert narcissism positively predicted adolescents’ social comparison tendencies
Adolescents’ covert narcissism also affected mothers’ social comparison and addiction levels

Abstract

Objectives: This study examines the bidirectional effects of covert narcissism between mothers and early adolescents on social media addiction through social comparison tendencies, using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model.Methods: To examine the mediating effect of social comparison tendencies in the relationship between covert narcissism in mothers and early adolescents and their social media addiction tendencies, data were collected from 441 mother-early adolescent pairs. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. Statistical methods adopted for data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and path model analysis.Results: The results of this study are as follows. First, mothers’ social comparison partially mediated the relationship between their covert narcissism and social media addiction tendency, while early adolescents’ covert narcissism influenced their social comparison and social media addiction. Second, mothers’ covert narcissism and social comparison tendencies positively predicted early adolescents’ social comparison tendencies. Third, early adolescents’ covert narcissism positively influenced mothers’ social comparison tendencies and social media addiction. Fourth, mothers’ covert narcissism indirectly affected early adolescents’ social media addiction through their own social comparison tendencies. Likewise, early adolescent covert narcissism indirectly influenced mothers’ social media addiction tendency through mothers’ social comparison tendency.Conclusion: Amid growing concerns and research demands due to the steady rise in social media addiction among modern early adolescents, this study addresses limitations of applying APIMeM to parent-child dyads. It highlights bidirectional influences of covert narcissism and social comparison, contributing to the prevention and treatment of social media addiction in both mothers and early adolescents by providing foundational data for intervention strategies.

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