MEDIATING ROLE OF ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR IN RELATIONSHIP OF MENTAL HEALTH AND DARK PERSONALITY TRAITS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the connection between dark personality traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism with their contribution to altruistic behavior and mental health in Pakistan among university students. Having in mind the collectivist cultural background, the study addresses the influence of these maladaptive characteristics on prosocial intentions and psychological wellbeing, especially the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. There were 304 students that took part in this cross-sectional quantitative study. The validated Urdu versions of the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4), Self-Report Altruism Scale (SRAS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) were used for data collection. It is believed that the majority of dark traits will have negative correlations with altruism and mental health indices, but narcissism can have more complex patterns because of its social interactive nature. Data analysis will involve the use of descriptive statistics which will summarize demographics and scale distributions and then Pearson correlations to determine relationships between variables. The predictive value of each dark trait will be established using multiple regression analysis to establish the role of each trait in the formation of altruistic behavior and mental health outcomes. Independent samples t-tests will be performed where necessary to address the differences depending on gender. The reliability of each measure will be assessed with the help of Cronbach alpha. The paper fills an important research vacuum in Pakistan and contributes to the creation of culturally sensitive mental health interventions among young adults.