ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Personality and Social Psychology
The association between Self-presentation on Social Network Sites and Interpersonal Relationship Satisfaction among High School Students: The Chain Mediating Role of Self-esteem and Self-identity
Provisionally accepted
- 1Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
- 2Xiamen Academy of Educational Sciences, Xiamen, China
- 3University of Memphis, Memphis, United States
- 4The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
- 5Xiamen Shuangshi Middle School Of Fujian, Xiamen, China
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Introduction: The development of social networks has reshaped adolescent self-presentation. The mode of self-presentation not only reflects their judgment of self-worth but also molds their self-awareness and interactions. By shaping their understanding and construction of the self, it ultimately affects their perception and evaluation of interpersonal relationships. This research aimed to examine the effect of self-presentation in SNS (Social Network Site) on high school students' interpersonal satisfaction as well as the mediation effect of self-esteem and self-identity. Methods: A sample of 711 high school students (47.53% males, mean age=15.76 years, SD=0.55) from Xiamen were included in this study. The Questionnaire of Self-presentation in SNS, the Self-Esteem Scale, the Questionnaire of Self-identity and the Questionnaire of Interpersonal Satisfaction were used to collect data. The bootstrap method was used to analyze the mediated effects. Results: (1) There are significant positive correlations among honest self-presentation in social network sites, self-esteem, self-identity, and interpersonal relationship satisfaction in high school students. (2) Both positive and honest self-presentation in social network sites positively predicted high school students' interpersonal satisfaction; (3) High school students' self-esteem and self-identity mediated the relationship between honest self-presentation and interpersonal satisfaction; (4) Self-presentation in online social network sites affected high school students' interpersonal satisfaction through the chain mediating role of both self-esteem and self-identity. This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article Conclusion: This study proposes that educators should focus on cultivating high school students' self-esteem and self-identity. By enhancing their level of self-esteem and facilitating the transition from their actual to ideal self, students can develop greater self-awareness and a stronger sense of self-worth. This process promotes positive interpersonal experiences and ultimately enhances their overall well-being.
Keywords: self-presentation1, social media sites2, interpersonal satisfaction3, self-esteem4, self-identity5, middle school students6
Received: 17 Jul 2025; Accepted: 04 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Peng, Shi, Hu and Zhuang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Genghu Shi, genghushi@gmail.com
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