Top

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

Gepubliceerd in:

01-10-2013

Low Self-Esteem as a Risk Factor for Loneliness in Adolescence: Perceived - but not Actual - Social Acceptance as an Underlying Mechanism

Auteurs: Janne Vanhalst, Koen Luyckx, Ron H. J. Scholte, Rutger C. M. E. Engels, Luc Goossens

Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology | Uitgave 7/2013

Abstract

Low self-esteem has been shown to relate to concurrent and later feelings of loneliness in adolescence. However, it remains unclear why low self-esteem puts adolescents at risk for experiencing loneliness. Further, longitudinal research on the direction of effects between loneliness and self-esteem is virtually non-existent. The present study aims to fill these gaps in the literature. First, the direction of effects between loneliness and self-esteem was investigated in two independent longitudinal studies: a five-wave study sampling Dutch adolescents (M age = 15.22 years at T1; 47 % female; N = 428) and a three-wave study sampling Belgian adolescents (M age = 14.95 years at T1; 63 % female; N = 882). Second, the underlying role of social acceptance was investigated in the latter sample by applying a multi-method approach that included actual (i.e., peer-reported) and perceived (i.e., self-reported) social acceptance. Results indicated that self-esteem and loneliness influenced one another in a reciprocal manner. Furthermore, the dominant path from self-esteem to loneliness was partially mediated by perceived—but not actual—social acceptance. The importance of distinguishing actual from perceived social acceptance is discussed, and suggestions for future research are outlined.

vorige artikel Reward Dysregulation and Mood Symptoms in an Adolescent Outpatient Sample

volgende artikel Early Onset Binge Eating and Purging Eating Disorders: Course and Outcome in a Population-Based Study of Adolescents

Unfortunately, our dataset did not contain friends’ ratings of friendship quality, but we collected self-reported friendship quality at the three measurement waves (using the Friendship Qualities Scale; Bukowski et al. 1994). We investigated whether self-reported friendship quality was a mediator between self-esteem and loneliness in the present study. Results indicated self-esteem was not significantly related to changes in self-reported friendship quality over time (although this relationship was marginally significant, β = 0.04, p < 0.10). Self-reported friendship quality, in turn, significantly predicted decreases in loneliness over time (β = −0.07, p < 0.01; χ² (20) = 74.83, p < 0.05; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.06). Despite higher mean levels of friendship quality for girls, our model fitted equally well for boys and girls (Δ Chi² (4) = 1.30, ns). We hope this result stimulates future studies combining self-reported with friend-reported measures of friendship quality as mediators in the association between self-esteem and loneliness.

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Anthony, D. B., Wood, J. V., & Holmes, J. G. (2007). Testing sociometer theory: self-esteem and the importance of acceptance for social decision-making. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 425–432.CrossRef

Baumeister, R. F., Smart, L., & Boden, J. M. (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: the dark side of high self-esteem. Psychological Review, 103, 5–33.PubMedCrossRef

Baumeister, R. F., Bushman, B. J., & Campbell, W. K. (2000). Self-esteem, narcissism, and aggression: does violence result from low self-esteem or from threatened egotism? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 26–29.CrossRef

Baumeister, R. F., Campbell, J. D., Krueger, J. I., & Vohs, K. D. (2003). Does high self-esteem cause better performance, interpersonal success, happiness, or healthier lifestyles? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4, 1–44.

Bellmore, A. D., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2006). Reciprocal influences of victimization, perceived social preference, and self-concept in adolescence. Self and Identity, 5, 209–229.CrossRef

Bierman, K. L. (2004). Peer rejection: Developmental processes and intervention strategies. New York: Guilford.

Brockner, J., & Lloyd, K. (1986). Self-esteem and likability: separating fact from fantasy. Journal of Research in Personality, 20, 496–508.CrossRef

Buhrmester, D., Furman, W., Wittenberg, M. T., & Reis, H. T. (1988). Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 991–1008.PubMedCrossRef

Bukowski, W. M., Hoza, B., & Boivin, M. (1994). Measuring friendship quality during pre-adolescence and early adolescence: the development and psychometric properties of the friendship qualities scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 471–484.CrossRef

Cacioppo, J. T., Hawkley, L. C., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M., Berntson, G. G., Nouriani, B., et al. (2006). Loneliness within a nomological net: an evolutionary perspective. Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 1054–1085.CrossRef

Cameron, J. J., Gaetz, R., Balchen, S., & Stinson, D. A. (2010). Acceptance is in the eye of the beholder: self-esteem and motivated perceptions of acceptance from the opposite sex. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 513–529.PubMedCrossRef

Cillessen, A. H. N. (2009). Sociometric methods. In K. H. Rubin, W. M. Bukowski, & B. Laursen (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 82–99). New York: Guilford Press.

Cillessen, A. H. N., & Bellmore, A. D. (1999). Accuracy of social self-perceptions and peer competence in middle childhood. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 45, 650–676.

Coie, J. D., Coppotelli, H., & Dodge, K. A. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: a cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557–570.CrossRef

Cole, D. A., & Maxwell, S. E. (2003). Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: questions and tips in the use of structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112, 558–577.PubMedCrossRef

Cole, D. A., Martin, J. M., & Powers, B. (1997). A competency-based model of child depression: a longitudinal study of peer, parent, teacher, and self-evaluations. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 505–514.PubMedCrossRef

Crick, N. R., & Ladd, G. W. (1993). Children’s Perceptions of their peer experiences: attributions, loneliness, social anxiety, and social avoidance. Developmental Psychology, 29, 244–254.CrossRef

de Jong-Gierveld, J. (1987). Developing and testing a model of loneliness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 119–128.PubMedCrossRef

De Jong-Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T., & Dykstra, P. A. (2006). Loneliness and social isolation. In A. L. Vangelisti & D. Perlman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships (pp. 485–500). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2005). Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological Science, 16, 328–335.PubMedCrossRef

Elkind, D. (1967). Egocentrism in adolescence. Child Development, 38, 1025–1031.PubMedCrossRef

Enders, C. K. (2010). Applied missing data analysis. New York: Guilford.

Ernst, J. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1999). Lonely hearts: psychological perspectives on loneliness. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 8, 1–22.CrossRef

Gifford-Smith, M. E., & Brownell, C. A. (2003). Childhood peer relationships: social acceptance, friendships, and peer networks. Journal of School Psychology, 41, 235–284.CrossRef

Giletta, M., Scholte, R. H. J., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Larsen, J. K. (2010). Body mass index and victimization during adolescence: the mediation role of depressive symptoms and self-esteem. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 69, 541–547.PubMedCrossRef

Gilovich, T., & Savitsky, K. (1999). The spotlight effect and the illusion of transparency: egocentric assessments of how we are seen by others. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 165–168.CrossRef

Goossens, L., Lasgaard, M., Luyckx, K., Vanhalst, J., Mathias, S., & Masy, E. (2009). Loneliness and solitude in adolescence: a confirmatory factor analysis of alternative models. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 890–894.CrossRef

Graham, S., Bellmore, A., & Juvonen, J. (2003). Peer victimization in middle school: when self- and peer views diverge. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 19, 117–137.CrossRef

Hagborg, W. J. (1993). The Rosenberg self-esteem scale and Harter self-perception profile for adolescents: a concurrent validity study. Psychology in the Schools, 30, 132–136.CrossRef

Harakeh, Z., Scholte, R. H. J., de Vries, H., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2005). Parental rules and communication: their association with adolescent smoking. Addiction, 100, 862–870.PubMedCrossRef

Harter, S. (1988). Manual for the self-perception profile for adolescents. Denver: University of Denver.

Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspective. New York: Guilford Press.

Harter, S. (2006). The self. In W. Damon, R. M. Lerner, & N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Social, emotional, and personality development (Handbook of child psychology 6th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 505–570). New York: Wiley.

Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40, 218–227.PubMedCrossRef

Heatherton, T. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2000). Interpersonal evaluations following threats to self: role of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 725–736.PubMedCrossRef

Heinrich, L. A., & Gullone, E. (2006). The clinical significance of loneliness: a literature review. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 695–718.PubMedCrossRef

Jelicic, H., Phelps, E., & Lerner, R. A. (2009). Use of missing data methods in longitudinal studies: the persistence of bad practices in developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1195–1199.PubMedCrossRef

Joiner, T. E., Katz, J., & Lew, A. (1999). Harbingers of depressotypic reassurance seeking: negative life events, increased anxiety, and decreased self-esteem. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 630–637.CrossRef

Keefe, K., & Berndt, T. J. (1996). Relations of friendship quality to self-esteem in early adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 16, 110–129.CrossRef

Kenny, D. A., & DePaulo, B. M. (1993). Do people know how others view them? An empirical and theoretical account. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 145–161.PubMedCrossRef

Kingery, J. N., Erdley, C. A., & Marshall, K. C. (2011). Peer acceptance and friendship as predictors of early adolescents’ adjustment across the middle school transition. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 57, 215–243.CrossRef

Kistner, J. A., David-Ferdon, C. F., Repper, K. K., & Joiner, T. E. (2006). Bias and accuracy of children’s perceptions of peer acceptance: prospective associations with depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 349–361.PubMedCrossRef

Kling, K. C., Hyde, J. S., Showers, C. J., & Buswell, B. N. (1999). Gender differences in self-esteem: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 470–500.PubMedCrossRef

Kupersmidt, J. B., Sigda, K. B., Sedikides, C., & Voegler, M. E. (1999). Social self-discrepancy theory and loneliness during childhood and adolescence. In K. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in childhood and adolescence (pp. 263–279). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Larson, R. W. (1999). The uses of loneliness in adolescence. In K. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in childhood and adolescence (pp. 296–322). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Leary, M. R. (2005). Sociometer theory and the pursuit of relational value: getting to the root of self-esteem. European Review of Social Psychology, 16, 75–111.CrossRef

Little, R. J. A. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83, 1198–1202.CrossRef

Little, T. D., Preacher, K. J., Selig, J. P., & Card, N. A. (2007). New developments in latent variable panel analyses of longitudinal data. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 31, 357–365.CrossRef

Mahon, N. E., Yarcheski, A., Yarcheski, T. J., Cannella, B. L., & Hanks, M. M. (2006). A meta-analytic study of predictors for loneliness during adolescence. Nursing Research, 55, 308–315.PubMedCrossRef

Marcoen, A., Goossens, L., & Caes, P. (1987). Loneliness in pre- through late adolescence: exploring the contributions of a multidimensional approach. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 561–577.CrossRef

Masi, C. M., Chen, H. Y., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2011). A meta-analysis of interventions to reduce loneliness. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15, 219–266.PubMedCrossRef

McElhaney, K. B., Antonishak, J., & Allen, J. P. (2008). “They like me, they like me not”: popularity and adolescents’ perceptions of acceptance predicting social functioning over time. Child Development, 79, 720–731.PubMedCrossRef

Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., Corby, B. C., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (2007). The developmental costs of high self-esteem for antisocial children. Child Development, 78, 1627–1639.PubMedCrossRef

Murray, S. L., Rose, P., Bellavia, G. M., Holmes, J. G., & Kusche, A. G. (2002). When rejection stings: How self-esteem constrains relationship-enhancement processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 556–573.PubMedCrossRef

Olmstead, R. E., Guy, S. M., O’Malley, P. M., & Bentler, P. M. (1991). Longitudinal assessment of the relationship between self-esteem, fatalism, loneliness and substance use. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 6, 749–770.

Parker, J. G., & Asher, S. R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29, 611–621.CrossRef

Parkhurst, J. T., & Hopmeyer, A. (1999). Developmental change in the source of loneliness in childhood and adolescence: Constructing a theoretical model. In K. J. Rotenberg & S. Hymel (Eds.), Loneliness in childhood and adolescence (pp. 56–79). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef

Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Perspectives on loneliness. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy (pp. 1–20). New York: Wiley.

Peplau, L. A., Miceli, M., & Morasch, B. (1982). Loneliness and self-evaluation. In L. A. Peplau & D. Perlman (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy (pp. 135–151). New York: Wiley.

Qualter, P., & Munn, P. (2002). The separateness of social and emotional loneliness in childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43, 233–244.PubMedCrossRef

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Schwartz, P. D., Maynard, A. M., & Uzelac, S. M. (2008). Adolescent egocentrism: a contemporary view. Adolescence, 43, 441–448.PubMed

Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (2001). Adolescent development. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 83–110.PubMedCrossRef

Van der Linden, F. J., Dijkman, T. A., & Roeders, P. J. B. (1983). Metingen van kenmerken van het persoonssysteem en sociale systeem [Measuring characteristics of the person system and the social system]. Nijmegen: Hoogveld Instituut.

van der Vorst, H., Engels, R. C. M. E., Meeus, W., Dekovic, M., & Van Leeuwe, J. (2005). The role of alcohol-specific socialization in adolescents’ drinking behaviour. Addiction, 100, 1464–1476.PubMedCrossRef

Vanhalst, J., Klimstra, T. A., Luyckx, K., Scholte, R. H. J., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Goossens, L. (2012). The interplay of loneliness and depressive symptoms across adolescence: exploring the role of personality traits. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 776–787.PubMedCrossRef

Weeks, M. S., & Asher, S. R. (2012). Loneliness in childhood: toward the next generation of assessment and research. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 42, 1–40.PubMedCrossRef

Weiss, R. S. (1973). Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Weiss, R. S. (1974). The provisions of social relationships. In Z. Rubin (Ed.), Doing unto others (pp. 17–26). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Wichstrom, L. (1995). Harter’s Self-perception profile for adolescents: reliability, validity, and evaluation of the question format. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 100–116.PubMedCrossRef

Wylie, R. (1979). The self concept (Vol. 3). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Hunter, T. A., & Pronk, R. (2007). A model of behaviors, peer relations and depression: perceived social acceptance as a mediator and the divergence of perceptions. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26, 273–302.CrossRef

Titel: Low Self-Esteem as a Risk Factor for Loneliness in Adolescence: Perceived - but not Actual - Social Acceptance as an Underlying Mechanism
Auteurs: Janne Vanhalst
Koen Luyckx
Ron H. J. Scholte
Rutger C. M. E. Engels
Luc Goossens
Publicatiedatum: 01-10-2013
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology / Uitgave 7/2013
Print ISSN: 2730-7166
Elektronisch ISSN: 2730-7174
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9751-y

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 7/2013

Impulsivity Moderates Promotive Environmental Influences on Adolescent Delinquency: A Comparison Across Family, School, and Neighborhood Contexts

Continuities and Changes in the Friendships of Children with and Without ADHD: A Longitudinal, Observational Study

Reward Dysregulation and Mood Symptoms in an Adolescent Outpatient Sample

What Specific Facets of Executive Function are Associated with Academic Functioning in Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

Psychopathy as Predictor and Moderator of Multisystemic Therapy Outcomes among Adolescents Treated for Antisocial Behavior

Early Adolescent Growth in Depression and Conduct Problem Symptoms as Predictors of Later Substance Use Impairment