The Impact Of Dark Triad On Break-up Distress Among College Students

Emotional and behavioral problems caused by breaking up are the main areas of psychological crisis intervention for college students.Research on the influencing factors and internal mechanism of break-up distress has important theoretical and practical significance for college psychological counseling and mental health education.However,integrating domestic studies has found that there were few quantitative studies on break-up distress,and the reason might be the lack of effective measure.In addition,researchers pointed out that personality traits might be the important factors influencing break-up distress.In recent years,dark triad has gradually attracted the attention of researchers.Dark triad is composed of Machiavellianism,psychopathy and narcissism.Individuals scoring high on dark triad traits have more negative behaviors and emotions.Researchers showed that dark triad traits significantly predict the individuals’level of break-up distress,but the internal mechanism has not been explored deeply.Therefore,this study aims to explore the internal mechanism of the dark triad traits on break-up distress,propose and verify the mediating variables.Previous studies have shown that psychological capital is associated with personality traits.Moreover,as a positive psychological quality,those who with high levels of psychological capital experience fewer negative emotions when facing negative life events.Therefore,This study assumes that psychological capital may play a mediating role between dark triad traits and break-up distress.According to previous studies,self-concealment has a positive predictive effect on psychological stress.Individuals with high levels of self-concealment tend to hide distressful and negative personal information which subjectively judged.As a result,refusing to talk with others may induce more break-up distress.Furthermore,researchers generally believe that individuals scoring high on dark triad traits have lower levels of interpersonal trust and self-esteem,and usually have more self-concealment behaviors.Based on the above analysis,this study believes that self-concealment might be a mediating variable in the relationship between dark triad traits and break-up distress.Previous studies have pointed out that there are gender differences in dark triad traits,psychological capital,self-concealment,and break-up distress.For this reason,this study considers the moderating role of gender in the mediation model.In summary,this study aims to use three sub-studies,to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Break-up Distress Scale.Afterwards,we tested the mediating role of psychological capital and self-concealment between dark triad traits and break-up distress.Finally,we verified its gender differences.Study 1:Objective:To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Break-up distress Scale in Chinese college students.Methods:Through the questionnaire star online survey platform,the Chinese version of the Break-up Distress Scale and Depression,Anxiety,and Sleep sub-scales of DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Adult were distributed to 669 college students who experienced romantic relationships dissolution in the past six months.Results:Both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the original one-dimensional model(χ~2/df=1.792,GFI=0.935,AGFI=0.915,NFI=0.958,RMSEA=0.048).The homogeneity reliability of the Chinese version of the BDS was 0.964,and the split-half reliability after correction was 0.977,and the total score of the scale was significantly positively correlated with each criterion scale.Male students had significantly higher break-up distress scores than female students,and break-up initiator had significantly lower break-up distress scores than people who were refused.Conclusion:The Chinese version of the BDS can be used to assess distress that Chinese college students feel after romantic relationships end,and it has good reliability and validity.Study 2:Objective:To investigate the influence of dark triad traits on break-up distress,and explore the mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of gender.Methods:Taking 563 college students as subjects,and using Machiavellianism Personality Scale,Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale,Narcissism Personality Inventory,Compound Psy Cap Scale,and Break-up Distress Scale launched an investigation.Results:(1)Machiavellianism was negatively correlated with psychological capital(r=-0.16,p<0.01),and positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.18,p<0.01);Psychopathy was negatively correlated with psychological capital(r=-0.29,p<0.01),and positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.30,p<0.01);Narcissism was positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.09,p<0.05),the correlation between narcissism and psychological capital was not significant(r=0.02,p=0.62);Psychological capital was negatively correlated with break-up distress(r=-0.15,p<0.01);(2)Psychological capital played a partially mediating role between Machiavellianism and break-up distress(β=0.02,p<0.01,95%CI[0.01,0.04]);(3)Among female college students,psychological capital was a completely mediating effect between Machiavellianism and break-up distress,but this mediating effect was not found among male college students.Conclusion:Psychological capital played a mediating role between Machiavellianism and break-up distress,and gender played a moderating role in this relationship.Study 3:Objective:To investigate the influence of dark triad traits on break-up distress,and explore the mediating role of self-concealment and the moderating role of gender.Methods:Taking 869 college students as subjects,using Machiavellianism Personality Scale,Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale,Narcissism Personality Inventory,Self-Concealment Scale,and the Chinese version of the Break-up Distress Scale launched an investigation.Results:(1)Machiavellianism was positively correlated with self-concealment(r=0.26,p<0.01),and positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.18,p<0.01);Psychopathy was positively correlated with self-concealment(r=0.27,p<0.01),and positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.30,p<0.01);Narcissism was positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.07,p<0.05),the correlation between narcissism and self-concealment was not significant(r=0.01,p=0.88);Self-concealment was positively correlated with break-up distress(r=0.27,p<0.01);(2)Self-concealment played a partially mediating role between Machiavellianism and break-up distress(β=0.07,p<0.01,95%CI[0.05,0.11]);and played a partially mediating role between psychopathy and break-up distress(β=0.06,p<0.01,95%CI[0.04,0.09]);(3)Among female college students,self concealment played a completely mediating role between two dark personality traits and break-up distress,while among male college students,self-concealment played a partially mediating role between two dark personality traits and break-up distress.Conclusion:Self-concealment played an mediating role between Machiavellianism/psychopathy and break-up distress,and gender played a significant moderating role.Conclusion:(1)The Chinese version of the Break-up Distress Scale had acceptable reliability and validity among college students in China,and could be used to assess the level of break-up distress among Chinese college students;(2)Psychological capital played a partially mediating role in the relationship between Machiavellianism and break-up distress;(3)There were gender differences in the mediating role of psychological capital.The psychological capital played a completely mediating role in the relationship between Machiavellianism and break-up distress among female college students,while the mediation model wasn’t found among male college students;(4)Self-concealment played a partially mediating role in the relationship between Machiavellianism/psychopathy and break-up distress;(5)There were gender differences in the mediating role of self-concealment.Among female college students,self-concealment played a completely mediating role between Machiavellianism/psychopathy and break-up distress,and played a partially mediating role among male college students.