East African Scholars Journal of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Abbreviated Key Title: EAS J Psychol Behav Sci ISSN 2663-1865 (Print) | ISSN 2663-6751 (Online) Published By East African Scholars Publisher, Kenya Volume-7 | Issue-4 | Oct-Dec-2025 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.36349/easjpbs.2025.v07i04.004 *Corresponding Author: Uchenna Kalu Agwu 142 Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya Original Research Article Relationship between Online Social Comparison and Self-Concept among Undergraduate University Students in Abia State, Nigeria Uchenna Kalu Agwu 1 *, Stephen Asatsa 1 , Joyzy Pius Egunjobi 1,2 1 Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Psycho-Spiritual Institute of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, Nairobi, Kenya Article History Received: 02.06.2025 Accepted: 04.08.2025 Published: 14.10.2025 Journal homepage: https://www.easpublisher.com Quick Response Code Abstract: Online social comparison and self-concept have emerged as significant areas of research in the field of psychology, particularly in relation to the experiences of university students. This study assessed the relationship between the domains of online social comparison and self-concept of undergraduate university students in selected universities in Abia State, Nigeria. Based on the social comparison theory of Leon Festinger and self-concept theory of Carl Rogers, the study used an embedded mixed method design, with a target population of 15, 915 undergraduate university students. Simple random and snowball sampling procedures were used to select 274 participants for the quantitative strand, and 12 respondents for the qualitative strand respectively. The adapted Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM) and the Robson Self-concept Scale (SCS) were used as quantitative instruments, while a semi-structured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study showed a positive weak correlation between appearance social comparison and self- concept (r=0.233, p < 0.01); a positive weak correlation between opinion social comparison and self-concept (r= 0.132, p < 0.05) and a positive weak correlation between ability social comparison and self-concept (r=0.236, p < 0.01). Upward social comparison and self-concept were found to be negatively correlated (r=- 0.131, p < 0.05) whereas, no significant correlation was found between downward social comparison and self-concept. The study therefore concludes that other factors may mediate the relationship between online social comparison and self-concept among university students. Keywords: Domains, Online, Social, Comparison, Self-Concept, Students. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited. I. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY In today's digital age, where social media platforms are widely accessible and extensively used, the phenomenon of online social comparison and its connection to self-concept has gained prominence (Verduyn et al., 2020). Online social comparison refers to the tendency to value one’s own personal and social worth by assessing how they compare with others online (Cherry, 2022). This process has implications for an individual’s self-concept, which encompasses the beliefs, perceptions, and evaluations a person holds about oneself. For example, an individual may share a text or image via online platforms, get minimal likes or comments, subsequently appraise himself or herself unfavorably as unworthy of external validation and, as a direct consequence, withdraw from social engagements due to feelings of insecurity. Considering that self-concept influences the way an individual shows up on social media platforms, it is important to highlight the opportunity offered to users to present themselves in an authentic way and to handle the impression they want to cause. The handling of this impression online allows the individual to adjust his/her image to his/her goals and needs for social interaction. However, there is a tendency to engage in favorable self- presentation that is socially desirable, which makes the users shy away from their reality to show themselves in an idealized way, emphasizing attractive traits (Vogel et al., 2014). Instagram users, for example, can transmit