The factor structure of self-esteem and its association with alcohol use in American Indian (AI) adolescents.

Abstract

American Indian (AI) adolescents experience disproportionately higher rates of alcohol use and related consequences. While self-esteem has been found to be associated with alcohol use in non-AI samples, little is known about this relationship in AI adolescents. Further, there is a dearth of literature examining the psychometric properties of self-esteem measures for AI adolescents. The current study aims to examine the factor structure of the self-esteem items of the American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS) and to better understand the relationships among self-esteem, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems in AI adolescents. The present study represents secondary analyses of cross-sectional data collected between 2009 and 2013. Participants (n = 3,498) were AI adolescents (Mage = 14.8, 47.7% female) attending schools on or near reservations across 11 states. Participants completed the American Drug and Alcohol Survey. Factor analytic results suggested 2 factors, representing intrapersonal (from intrinsic sources) and interpersonal self-esteem (from extrinsic sources). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that, with both factors entered into the model, intrapersonal self-esteem was negatively associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, while interpersonal self-esteem was positively associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Results suggest the importance of examining the properties of assessment tools before they are used with a community for whom they were not developed. Further, self-esteem does not appear to be universally protective. Rather, interventions should aim to consider sources from which AI adolescents are drawing self-esteem and focus on promoting more intrinsic sources rather than aiming to increase self-esteem in general. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).