Moderating effects of gender and Machiavellianism on outcomes associated with negative life events among adolescents

This study examines Machiavellianism and negative life events in relation to emotional / behavioral problems. Using a sample of adolescents (n = 454), we investigated the degree to which Machiavellianism, negative life events, and the interaction of Machiavellianism and negative life events accounts for variance in emotional / behavioral problems, and also tested for the moderating effect of gender in this respect. The results indicated that (a) Machiavellianism was positively related to negative life events, suggesting that the more adolescents endorsed Machiavellianism, the greater their scores on negative life events; (b) the correlation between Machiavellianism and conduct problems was stronger in boys than girls, thereby suggesting a more substantial relation between Machiavellianism and conduct problems in boys than girls; (c) increasing levels of Machiavellianism could increase the contributions of negative life events to the levels of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and peer relationship problems. The implication of these findings are interpreted and discussed.