Elsevier

Academic Pediatrics

Volume 10, Issue 4, July–August 2010, Pages 238-244.e2
Academic Pediatrics

Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Characteristics Associated With Low Self-Esteem Among US Adolescents

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2010.03.007Get rights and content

Objective

Low self-esteem in adolescents has been associated with a number of risk and protective factors in previous studies, but results have been mixed. Our objective was to examine characteristics associated with low self-esteem in a large national sample of young adolescents.

Methods

We conducted a population-based correlational study. A sample of 6522 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years was surveyed by phone as part of a national study of media and substance use. Self-esteem was measured with 3 questions that assessed global self-worth and physical appearance. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between self-esteem and sociodemographics, child personality characteristics, weight status, daily TV time, parenting style, school performance, and team sports participation. Interactions among gender, race, and weight status were examined.

Results

In multivariate analysis, female gender, Hispanic race, overweight and obesity, sensation seeking, rebelliousness, and daily TV time were each independently associated with lower self-esteem. Teens of black race, with higher parental responsiveness and demandingness, better school performance, or involvement in team sports were less likely to report low self-esteem. Black females were at lower risk and Hispanic males were at higher risk for low esteem than peers of similar gender of other races.

Conclusions

Low self-esteem was associated with a number of modifiable risk factors, including obesity, TV time, team sports participation, school performance, and parenting style, that should be discussed with teens and parents at health supervision visits. Further research examining race and gender-specific factors that serve to moderate risk for poor self-esteem in adolescents is warranted.

Section snippets

Recruitment

A detailed description of recruitment methods has been previously published.29 Briefly, a national random-digit-dial telephone survey recruited 6522 10- to 14-year-old US adolescents for a national study of media and substance use. Westat, a national research organization, conducted baseline and follow-up surveys using computer-assisted telephone interviews. The baseline survey was conducted in 2003, with 3 follow-up surveys at 8-month intervals. Parental consent and adolescent assent were

Sample Characteristics

The study sample is described in Table 1.

Factors Associated With Low Self-esteem: Bivariate Analysis

Table 2 lists characteristics associated with low self-esteem in bivariate (chi-squared) analysis. The percentage of teens with our definition of low self-esteem was greater in older adolescents and in females. Differences were found by race, with proportionally fewer black teens having low self-esteem compared with whites, and Hispanic teens having a higher rate of low self-esteem. Obese teens had particularly high rates of low self-esteem (30%). Teens

Discussion

This population-based correlational study examines multiple factors associated with low self-esteem, identifying important modifiable variables. This study furthers previous research by utilizing a large national sample and assessing multiple covariates concurrently, allowing for multivariate and subgroup analyses and better control of possible confounding. Our findings confirm that although there are a number of sociodemographic risk factors that are associated with low self-esteem, including

Acknowledgments

This study is funded by grant AA015591 (James D. Sargent, MD) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and by grant CA077026 from the National Cancer Institute.

References (34)

  • K.H. Trzesniewski et al.

    Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood

    Dev Psychol

    (2006)
  • S. French et al.

    Self-esteem and obesity in children and adolescents: a literature review

    Obes Res

    (1995)
  • S. Harter

    Manual for the self-perception profile for children

    (1985)
  • J. Franklin et al.

    Obesity and risk of low self-esteem: a statewide survey of Australian children

    Pediatrics

    (2006)
  • K.C. Swallen et al.

    Overweight, obesity, and health-related quality of life among adolescents: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

    Pediatrics

    (2005)
  • K.C. Kling et al.

    Gender differences in self-esteem: a meta-analysis

    Psychol Bull

    (1999)
  • C. Carlson et al.

    Ethnic differences in processes contributing to the self-esteem of early adolescent girls

    J Early Adolesc

    (2000)
  • Cited by (108)

    • Enhancing self-esteem through cognitive behavioural group therapy - a randomized feasibility study of a transdiagnostic approach in psychiatric care

      2022, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
      Citation Excerpt :

      Lowered self-esteem in patients with mental disorders is linked to a negative self-image, unbalanced thoughts, feelings of being chased down and uncomfortable physical sensations as well as aggressive behaviors towards others or against themselves such as self-injuring behavior as a form of self-punishment, due to self-devaluation and shame (Kunikata, 2010) which can entail further interpersonal problems and symptoms. Reciprocal interactions can be observed: A low self-esteem can favor the development and maintenance of a mental disorder and be seen as a vulnerability (Drapalski et al., 2013), furthermore mental illnesses can also reduce the self-esteem (McClure et al., 2010; West et al., 2011). The meta-analysis of Sowislo & Orth (2013) of various longitudinal studies identified a low self-esteem as a higher risk factor for depression than vice versa allowing assumptions about the preventive potential of interventions to increase self-esteem and a stable self-esteem as a protective coping factor and thereby reducing the risk of depression and relapses.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text