Exploring the relationship between self-esteem, depression and narcissism of undergraduate university students in Windhoek, Namibia

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Date
2023
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
The relationship between narcissism, depression and self-esteem is worth exploring for the benefit of mental health awareness and promotion. This study's primary objective was to investigate the association between these variables among undergraduate university students in Windhoek, Namibia. The study was conducted with 147 undergraduate university students. The levels of self-esteem, depression and narcissism were assessed by deploying the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Narcissistic Personality Inventory 40 respectively. Information was obtained through online self-administered questionnaires. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel and then imported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software (SPSS) version 25.0. The study found that there is a strong negative correlation between self-esteem and depression (-0.81), a moderate positive correlation between self-esteem and narcissism (0.67) and a weak negative correlation between depression and narcissism (-0.47). An observed limitation is that the sample size used for the study is relatively small. The researcher recommends that further research be carried out at other institutions of higher learning in Namibia. Furthermore, the study did not focus on the direction and strength of the relationship between these variables. The researcher thus recommends that further research be carried out to fully understand the nature, direction as well as strength of the relationship between self-esteem, depression and narcissism. In view with the findings by Rousseau et al. (2021), the findings from the present study imply the necessity of preventive interventions during vulnerable undergraduate study periods and lay the iii groundwork for treatment plans that are specifically adapted to the needs of the most susceptible undergraduate students at the University of Namibia (UNAM)
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of masters degree of arts in clinical psychology
Keywords
Narcissism, Depression, Self-esteem, Undergraduate students, Psychology
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