Do gender and age moderate the association between self-esteem and fear of success?

Abstract

Fear of success is a negative experience which influences satisfaction with life and overall wellbeing. Socio-demographic factors (e.g., age and gender) and self-esteem have been found to be associated with fear of success. However, whether gender and age influence how self-esteem is liked to fear of success has received little attention. We examined the moderating roles of gender and age moderate in the relationship between self-esteem and fear of success. Participants were 350 Nigerian adults who completed the Index of Self-esteem and the Fear of Success Scale. Hayes regression-based PROCESS macro results indicated that those with low self-esteem reported higher fear of success. Neither age nor gender was associated with fear of success. Gender and age did not moderate the association between self-esteem and fear of success. Interventions to boost people’s self-esteem should be considered in efforts to reduce fear of success.