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 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.