Title: How self-esteem mediates the relationship between passive social network use and hedonic well-being: the comparison of Taiwanese and Vietnamese students

Authors: Nhan Duc Nguyen; Wen Cheng; Hieu Minh Tran

Addresses: International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan ' Center for Teacher Education, Institute of Education, and International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 804, Taiwan ' Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ho Chi Minh University of Banking, Ho Chi Minh, 700000, Vietnam

Abstract: Guided by social comparison theory and cultural characteristics, our study examined the mediating effect of self-esteem on the correlation of passive use with hedonic well-being (HWB). A total of 1004 respondents (Taiwanese and Vietnamese) participated in the self-report study. The results revealed that the mediation of self-esteem in the relationship between passive use and HWB played differently between Taiwan (a full mediation) and Vietnam (a partial mediation). An integration of social comparison and cultural aspects supported us in explaining how the mediating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between passive social network use and HWB functioned differently between the Taiwanese and Vietnamese students. The study implications for educational aspects are also discussed.

Keywords: passive social network use; self-esteem; hedonic well-being; life satisfaction; positive emotions; Taiwan; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2023.131529

International Journal of Happiness and Development, 2023 Vol.8 No.1, pp.17 - 27

Received: 23 May 2022
Accepted: 17 Oct 2022
Published online: 16 Jun 2023 *

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