Social self-concept and communication competency: reciprocal relations and their predictors and outcomes

Adolescence is a developmental stage in which social relationships become central, yet few studies have examined longitudinal links among social-domain variables such as social self-concept and communication competency. This study addresses this gap using a cross-lagged model. Predictors, including peer relationships and teacher–student relationships, and outcomes, such as well-being and academic achievement, were added to the model. The sample comprised 7,324 South Korean adolescents (50.5% girls; Mage ≈ 11 years at baseline in grade 5). The results showed a reciprocal relation between social self-concept and communication competency for students in grades 8 to 10. Peer relationships predicted social self-concept and communication competency more strongly than teacher–student relationships. While both positively predicted well-being, social self-concept negatively predicted achievement. These findings highlight the interconnected development of adolescents’ social self-concept and communication competency, and suggest that strengths in the social domain may support well-being, while not uniformly translating into academic benefits.