Abstract

This study aimed to examine the dual mediating effect of self-acceptance and perceived social support on the relationship between internalized shame and interpersonal competence in early adulthood. To achieve this, a self-reported survey was conducted using scales measuring internalized shame, interpersonal competence, self-acceptance, and perceived social support. Data were collected from 235 men and women aged 18 to 39 across South Korea. Reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis were conducted using SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS Macro 4.2. The significance of the indirect effects was verified through bootstrapping methods. The main findings of this study are as follows: First, self-acceptance fully mediated the relationship between internalized shame and interpersonal competence. Second, perceived social support also fully mediated the relationship between internalized shame and interpersonal competence. Third, the sequential mediating effects of self-acceptance and perceived social support on the relationship between internalized shame and interpersonal competence were significant. These findings suggest that higher levels of internalized shame are associated with lower self-acceptance, which in turn leads to reduced perceived social support, negatively impacting interpersonal competence. Finally, the implications, limitations of this study, and the suggestions for future research were discussed.