Self-esteem assessment of young female university students according to race/skin color criteria.

Monalisa Nanaina Da Silva,Juliana Cristina Dos Santos Monteiro

doi:10.1590/1518-8345.3866.3362

Monalisa Nanaina Da Silva, Juliana Cristina Dos Santos Monteiro

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.3866.3362

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Abstract

Objective:to evaluate and compare the self-esteem of young female university students aged between 18 and 24 years old according to race/skin color criteria.Method:a cross-sectional and quantitative study, developed with 240 undergraduate female students from a public Brazilian university. Data collection took place online through a structured questionnaire that included the participants’ sociodemographic and lifestyle habits, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, association test, and comparison of means were used.Results:most of the young women had a mean level of self-esteem. No statistically significant association was found among the “self-esteem level” and “self-reported skin color or race” variables.Conclusion:although no significant association was identified between self-reported skin color or race and level of self-esteem, young black women have lower mean self-esteem scores than young non-black women. Strategies that strengthen the self-esteem of young female university students are necessary to prevent harms to their physical and mental health, and, consequently, to their academic performance.

Highlights

IntroductionSelf-esteem is defined as the judgment that the individuals make and keep about themselves, it is built up from the value that they give to themselves, generating a feeling of appreciation or disgust that defines the subjects’ self-perception(1)
Self-esteem is defined as the judgment that the individuals make and keep about themselves, it is built up from the value that they give to themselves, generating a feeling of appreciation or disgust that defines the subjects’ self-perception(1).Individuals may have a low, medium or high level of self-esteem(1)
It is observed that the largest proportion of participants (53.7%) had a medium level of self-esteem

Summary

Introduction

Self-esteem is defined as the judgment that the individuals make and keep about themselves, it is built up from the value that they give to themselves, generating a feeling of appreciation or disgust that defines the subjects’ self-perception(1). Individuals may have a low, medium or high level of self-esteem(1). High self-esteem is manifested by the acceptance of responsibility for their own actions, by the ability to take reasonable risks, assuming total command and control over their own lives, including the adoption of healthy behaviors(2). Low self-esteem individuals focus on trying to prove themselves to others. They generally lack confidence in themselves, and often doubt their own value and acceptability. People with medium self-esteem experience fluctuations in relation to selfconcept, alternating between feelings of self-approval and self-rejection(1-2)

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