Introduction:

The World Health Organization indicates that gender-based values, attitudes and stereotypes that affect the health and well-being of girls and women around the world need to be eliminated. From personality psychology, scientific studies have shown that traits such as the dark personality triad (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and moral disengagement increase susceptibility to gender bias, threat, and interpersonal aggression. As a contribution to the design of a personological profile prone to accept and justify sexist attitudes, the main aim of this paper was to study the mediating role of moral disengagement between the dark personality triad and ambivalent sexism in a sample of adolescents.

Methods:

The sample consisted of 803 adolescents (M = 15.33, SD = 0.99; 50.3% boys) using convenience sampling to assess ambivalent sexism, dark personality triad and moral disengagement. An analysis of variance and comparison of various mediational models was carried out using the bootstrapping technique.

Results:

The dark personality triad traits are directly and significantly related to adolescents' hostile and benevolent sexism, and that moral disengagement has a relevant mediating effect on this relationship.

Conclusions:

Finally, the implications of these findings for the transformation of these gendered beliefs and attitudes that perpetuate discrimination against girls and women are discussed in relation with prevention programs.

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