Mediating role of the self–esteem and resilience in the association between social exclusion and life satisfaction among adolescents

Abstract

Social exclusion is a painful experience associated with a variety of psychosocial and behavioral outcomes from childhood to adulthood. The purpose of the current study is to explore the mediation role of resilience and self-esteem in the relationship between social exclusion and life satisfaction in high school adolescents. The sample comprised 1172 students enrolling in grades of 9–12 in four public schools in an urban city of Turkey. Of the 52.7% participants were female and 47.3% of them were male with ages ranged between 14 and 19 years (M = 15.91, SD = 1.25). Results of the analyses showed negative and significant relationships between social exclusion and life satisfaction, self-esteem and resilience. Moreover, there were positive and significant relationships between resilience, life satisfaction and self-esteem. Findings of structural equation model revealed that social exclusion directly predicted resilience and self-esteem. Social exclusion predicted life satisfaction by the mediation of resilience and self-esteem. These outcomes indicated that resilience and self-esteem mediated the relationship between social exclusion and life satisfaction in adolescents.