Self-Esteem of Adolescents Who Were Born Prematurely

Abstract

There is abundant evidence that a child's self-esteem has a key role in determining the quality of peer relationships, shaping personal adjustments, providing motivation, and achieving scholastic and athletic success. Theauthors attempted to determine whether adolescents who were extremely low birth-weight (ELBW) infants (501-1000 gm) have lower self-esteem than controls subjects born at term. A total of 132 children aged 12 to 16 years who had been ELBW infants were evaluated along with 127 sociodemographically matched control adolescents, also born in the years 1977 to 1982. The Harter Self-Perception Profile is designed to measure how teenagers perceive their competence in several domains (school performance, social acceptance, athletic achievement, physical appearance, romantic appeal, job competence, behavioral conduct, close friendship). The questionnaire was completed following an interview intended to gauge the subjects' health-related quality of life. Mean test scores did not differ in any domain.between teenagers with and those without impairments. Global self-worth was similar for the ELBW and control groups. There were no differences between the two groups in most domains of perceived self-esteem or in the importance accorded these domains. The only significantly difference was in athletic competence, where the ELBW adolescents rated themselves lower than controls. In addition, heavier adolescents rated themselves higher on close friendships, and girls had higher close friendship ratings than did boys. Children with higher math scores rated themselves better on scholastic competence. In general, teenagers who were ELBW infants do not exhibit lower self-esteem than their normal-birth-weight peers. Additional studies on both self-esteem and emotional adjustment might reveal antecedents of maladjustment and help in planning timely intervention.