For health or for clout? An investigation of the influence of narcissism on exercise addiction among collegiate students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68574/sportk.377Keywords:
Grandiose Narcissism, Vulnerable Narcissism, Exercise Addiction, Filipino Collegiate StudentsAbstract
The aims of the study were to describe the levels of narcissism, both grandiose and vulnerable, and exercise addiction among Filipino collegiate students, and to investigate the influence of both forms of narcissism on exercise addiction. This study employed a quantitative predictive design, using multiple linear regression analysis to examine the influence of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism on exercise addiction among 103 randomly selected university students (mean age 19.61±1.29). Participants completed a Google Form survey containing three validated instruments measuring grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, and exercise addiction. The results showed that male students exhibited higher levels of narcissistic grandiosity (52.72±18.55 vs. 45.29±14.20; t=2.20, p=.030) and exercise addiction (28.14±6.58 vs. 23.44±7.11; t=3.43, p<.001) compared to females, whereas narcissistic vulnerability levels were identical across sexes (36.76±11.40 vs. 36.76±12.14; t= 0.001, p=.999). Regression analyses revealed that among females, both narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability significantly predicted exercise addiction (p<0.05), whereas among males, only narcissistic grandiosity was a significant predictor (p<0.05), with both traits emerging as significant predictors across the full sample. These findings highlight how societal pressures related to physical appearance and social image influence fitness behaviors among Filipino youth.
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