Domain-specific Self-esteem Research Articles

Global or Domain Specific Self-Esteem: Can it Predict Aggression Among Children and Adolescents?

ABSTRACTThe study examined whether self-esteem predicted aggression among children and adolescents. Through a multistage method of sampling, the study utilized 170 (N = 170) participants from primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools across Trinidad. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, The Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory (CFSEI), and the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scale (DIAS). Using hierarchical regression analyses, both global and domain specific measures of self-esteem were used as predictors of the three types of aggression: direct physical, direct verbal and indirect aggression. The results revealed that global self-esteem was a stronger predictor of aggression for children than domain specific self-esteem. However, domain specific self-esteem was a stronger predictor of aggression among adolescents. As it relates to aggression, the pathways to global self-esteem differed from domain specific self-esteem. Implications for the comparative use of multidimensional and global self-esteem were discussed, and recommendations for future research have been proposed.

Quality of life among adolescents living in residential youth care: do domain-specific self-esteem and psychopathology contribute?

Many adolescents living in residential youth care (RYC) institutions perceive their quality of life (QoL) to be low. Enhancing QoL is thus important, but little is known about the potential contributors to their QoL. Early interpersonal trauma and subsequent removal from home and repeated relocations to new placements are expected to affect mental health and self-esteem. We therefore investigated if domain-specific self-esteem contributed to QoL among adolescents living in RYC institutions over and beyond their levels of psychopathology. All youth in Norwegian RYC institutions between the ages 12-23years were invited to participate. Of a total of 98 RYC institutions, 86 participated, and 400 of 601 eligible youths were examined. The participants' primary contact completed the Child Behavior Checklist to assess psychopathology. The adolescents completed a revised version of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents and the questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life in children and adolescents (KINDL-R). After adjusting for psychopathology, age, and gender, self-esteem domains uniquely explained 42% of the variance in Qol, where social acceptance (β=0.57) and physical appearance (β=0.25) domains significantly predicted concurrent QoL. The self-esteem domains, social acceptance and physical appearance, add substantially to the explained variance in QoL among adolescents living in RYC institutions, over and beyond the levels of psychopathology. These self-esteem domains may be targets of intervention to improve QoL, in addition to treating their psychopathology.

Predictors of students' self-esteem: The importance of body self-perception and exercise

The goal of this study was to explore the predictive validity of physical self-efficacy, social physique anxiety, and physical activity in the self-esteem of students, as well as to investigate potential gender differences. The Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES), Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), and a short questionnaire about physical activity were administered to a sample of 232 university students. The overall results show that students are moderately physically active (on the average, 2.75 times per week), have moderately high selfesteem and physical self-efficacy and lower social physique anxiety. No gender differences were detected in self-esteem. In other variables, gender differences are significant and mostly in favour of males. The analyses showed that self-esteem correlated positively with physical self-efficacy and physical activity, and negatively with social physique anxiety. The regression analyses indicated that physical selfefficacy, social physique anxiety and female gender were significant predictors of self-esteem. Physical activity was not a significant predictor of self-esteem. Future studies should investigate the relations of body self-perceptions, physical exercise, and domain-specific self-esteem.

The relationship between motor skills difficulties and self-esteem in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review

Research findings indicate that there appears to be a relationship between poor motor skills and self-esteem, however this relationship is ambiguous. This review examines the effects of poor motor skills on global and/or domain specific self-esteem. Four databases, Google Scholar and the Manchester Online library were searched for articles focusing on motor skills and self-esteem in children and adolescents. A date range of between January 2000 and July 2015 was specified to ensure sufficient overlap with the most recent meta-analysis. From the database searches, 26 potentially relevant studies were identified and from these 26, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. A synthesis of the studies reveals that there appears to be a relationship between motor skills and self-esteem, however this relationship is complex and likely to vary depending on age, gender and co-morbidity. Implications for educational psychology practice are discussed.

Self-Esteem of 8-14-Year-Old Children with Psychiatric Disorders: Disorder- and Gender-Specific Effects.

In this study, we investigated the relation between global and domain-specific self-esteem and psychiatric disorders. A sample of 577 children aged 8-14years was recruited via psychiatric hospitals and from the general population. Parents were given a diagnostic interview to assess children's psychiatric diagnoses (current/past). Parents and children completed questionnaires on child symptoms. Children completed a questionnaire on global and domain-specific self-esteem (scales: scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic performance and physical appearance, global self-esteem). Self-esteem of children with current psychiatric disorders was lower than that of healthy controls (η p2 between 0.01 and 0.08). Concerning scholastic competence, social acceptance and global self-esteem, children with past psychiatric disorders scored also lower than healthy controls. Different current psychiatric disorders showed specific but small effects on dimensions of self-esteem (β between -0.08 and 0.19). Moreover, we found a gender×group interaction, indicating that girls with depressive and adjustment disorders were specifically impaired in their global self-esteem and perception of their physical appearance. Findings might help clinicians to focus on particular domains of self-esteem during the diagnostic process and to define adequate treatment goals.

Young professionals’ conspicuous consumption of clothing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between conspicuous consumption and public self-consciousness, materialism and domain-specific self-esteem, demographics and shopping behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Focusing on clothing, public self-consciousness, materialism and domain-specific self-esteem are examined in relation to two characteristics of clothing: expensive and fashionable. Using a sample of 261 UK young professionals, the paper compares the five factors across three levels of clothing conspicuous consumption (low, medium and high). Findings – Findings indicate that while the five factors were associated to different levels of conspicuous consumption, the relationship was not always evident. Expensive clothing was more related to conspicuousness than fashionable clothing and differences between low- and medium/high-conspicuousness individuals appear to be larger than the difference between medium and high-conspicuousness groups. Practical implications – Price appears to be a more powerful influence on conspicuous consumption than the fashionable element and therefore a strategy focused on expensive prices is essential in attracting conspicuous consumers. Originality/value – The study provides an insight into conspicuous consumption in the context of clothing and its relationship with public self-consciousness, materialism and self-esteem as they relate to the expensive and fashionable dimensions.

The development of global and domain-specific self-esteem from age 13 to 31.

This study examines the development of global self-esteem and self-esteem in 6 specific domains across adolescence and young adulthood. Using a cohort-sequential design, we analyzed longitudinal data on 3,116 Norwegian men and women from 13 to 31 years of age by means of growth curve modeling. Questionnaire data provided information on global self-esteem and self-esteem in social, academic, athletic, and appearance domains. Data on important life outcomes was provided by register linkages. Results showed increasing levels of global self-esteem and self-esteem in most domains with increasing age. Being male, higher parental education, and reported higher levels of parental care were related to higher levels of global self-esteem and self-esteem in several domains. Self-esteem in the appearance domain showed high and stable correlations with global self-esteem, whereas in social domains, correlations with global self-esteem increased over age, with a particularly steep increase for romantic appeal self-esteem. As to the prospective relationship between self-esteem and important life outcomes, results showed that participants high in academic self-esteem attained higher education levels and higher income, but most of the relationship was explained by covariates such as parents' socioeconomic status and school grades. Low global self-esteem predicted later prescription of antidepressants, even after controlling for covariates. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive picture of the development of global and domain-specific self-esteem throughout adolescence and young adulthood using long-term longitudinal data. The results underscore the importance of examining development of self-esteem in specific domains in addition to global self-esteem.

Supervisor Performance Self-Esteem and Abusive Supervision: The Role of Subordinate Characteristics

The present research examines the role of domain-specific supervisor self-esteem (i.e., performance) in abusive supervision. Drawing on models of dual information processing of explicit and implici...

Direct and indirect aggression tactics as a function of domain-specific self-esteem

Most studies on aggression focus on direct aggression or fail to distinguish between types of aggression tactics. Similarly, the relationship between self-esteem and aggression is not well understood. The present research examines whether certain domains of self-esteem lead people to differentially employ direct and indirect aggression tactics. Overall, our findings suggest that people who are high in competitive types of self-esteem (mate value and dominance) are less likely to endorse indirect aggression or more likely to endorse direct aggression than those low in competitive types of self-esteem. In an online study, we found that men reported more direct aggression in response to provocation than women, while there was no sex difference in indirect aggression responses. Self-perceived mate value negatively predicted indirect aggression in men but positively predicted direct aggression in women. In a second study, experimentally manipulated mate value predicted indirect aggression in women. Furthermore, self-perceived mate value positively predicted direct aggression in women, while dominance predicted direct aggression in men. In Study 3, a replication of Study 2 using an undergraduate sample, we found that manipulated mate value predicted indirect aggression in men and women. We conclude that particular domains of self-esteem may calibrate preferred aggression tactics.

Understanding self-esteem of Asian American adolescents: Examining their domain specific self-esteem

Understanding self-esteem of Asian American adolescents: Examining their domain specific self-esteem

Instability and level of global and domain-specific self-esteem in diary survey

Instability and level of global and domain-specific self-esteem in diary survey

Life satisfaction in middle-aged Koreans: mediating effects of domain-specific self-esteem satisfaction, and sex differences.

The current study was an attempt to examine the interplay between domain-specific self-esteem and life satisfaction with middle-aged Koreans. For four domains (Social/Objective Ability, Positive Characteristics, Interpersonal Relationships, and Family), the mediating effects of the satisfaction index of domain-specific self-esteem between the importance index of domain-specific self-esteem and life satisfaction were tested using structural equation modeling. 364 Koreans in their 40s and 50s were recruited through stratified sampling. Overall, the satisfaction index of domain-specific self-esteem was found to be a strong mediator across all the four domains; for middle-aged Koreans, if they appraised their self-esteem in a given domain as important and they felt satisfied in that domain, their life satisfaction was likely to be higher. Additionally, results of multi-group analysis suggested that the strengths of associations in the model were different between men and women in the Interpersonal Relationships domain.

Show me the product, show me the model: Effect of picture type on attitudes toward advertising

We suggest that a consideration of consumer self-evaluations is fundamental to understanding the conditions under which it is more advantageous to present person or product pictures in print advertisements. We build on the basic human motives of self-enhancement and self-verification to propose that the specific self-esteem level of consumers, in the domain relevant for the category, differentially affects their responses to picture type. Specifically, for consumers with low (high) domain-specific self-esteem, depicting a product (person) in the advertisement enhances attitudes toward the advertisement more than depicting a person (product). In two studies, we demonstrate the proposed matching relationships using two different domains of consumer self-evaluation: appearance self-esteem and academic self-esteem. We also show that increased and more fluent generation of self-related mental imagery drives the observed improvement in attitudes toward the advertisement. Our findings suggest direct implications for advertising design.

Low and decreasing self-esteem during adolescence predict adult depression two decades later.

Previous studies revealed that low self-esteem is prospectively associated with depression. However, self-esteem has been shown to change over time. We thus hypothesized that not only level but also change in self-esteem affect depression. Using data from a 23-year longitudinal study (N = 1,527), we therefore examined the prospective effects of global and domain-specific self-esteem (physical attractiveness, academic competence) level and change on depressive symptoms 2 decades later. Self-esteem was assessed annually from age 12 to 16, and depression was assessed at age 16 and 35. Results from latent growth curve analyses demonstrated that both level and change in self-esteem served as predictors for adult depression. Individuals who entered adolescence with low self-esteem, and/or whose self-esteem declined further during the adolescent years, were more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression 2 decades later as adults; this pattern held both for global and domain-specific self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of adolescent self-esteem development for mental health outcomes in adulthood.

Understanding the Link Between Low Self-Esteem and Depression

Although it is well documented that low self-esteem and depression are related, the precise nature of the relation has been a topic of ongoing debate. We describe several theoretical models concerning the link between self-esteem and depression, and review recent research evaluating the validity of these competing models. Overall, the available evidence provides strong support for the vulnerability model (low self-esteem contributes to depression), weaker support for the scar model (depression erodes self-esteem), and little support for alternative accounts such as the diathesis-stress model. Moreover, the vulnerability model is robust and holds across gender, age, affective-cognitive versus somatic symptoms of depression, European background versus Mexican-origin participants, and clinical versus nonclinical samples. Research on further specifications of the vulnerability model suggests that the effect is (a) partially mediated by rumination, (b) not influenced by other characteristics of self-esteem (i.e., stability and contingency), and (c) driven predominantly by global rather than domain-specific self-esteem. The research has important theoretical implications because it counters the commonly repeated claim that self-esteem has no long-term impact. Moreover, the research has important practical implications, suggesting that depression can be prevented, or reduced, by interventions that improve self-esteem.

Explaining Method Effects Associated With Negatively Worded Items in Trait and State Global and Domain-Specific Self-Esteem Scales

Several investigators have interpreted method effects associated with negatively worded items in a substantive way. This research extends those studies in different ways: (a) it establishes the presence of methods effects in further populations and particular scales, and (b) it examines the possible relations between a method factor associated with negatively worded items and several covariates. Two samples were assessed: 592 high school students from Valencia (Spain), and 285 batterers from the same city. The self-esteem scales used were Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, the State Self-Esteem Scale, and Self-Esteem 17. Anxiety was also assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and gender and educational level were taken into account. The models were conducted using a multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) model framework. The evidence in this research pointed out that method effects were present across the different measures of self-esteem. Moreover, a significant and negative effect of anxiety on method effects was present across scales and samples, whereas no effects of age or educational level where found.

Gender Differences of Brain Activity in the Conflicts Based on Implicit Self-Esteem

There are gender differences in global and domain-specific self-esteem and the incidence of some psychiatric disorders related to self-esteem, suggesting that there are gender differences in the neural basis underlying one's own self-esteem. We investigated gender differences in the brain activity while subjects (14 males and 12 females) performed an implicit self-esteem task, using fMRI. While ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was significantly activated in females, medial and dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC) were activated in males in the incongruent condition (self = negative) compared with the congruent condition (self = positive). Additionally, scores on the explicit self-esteem test were negatively correlated with vmPFC activity in females and positively correlated with dmPFC activity in males. Furthermore, the functional relationships among the regions found by direct gender comparisons were discussed based on the somatic-marker model. These showed that, compared to males, females more firmly store even the incongruent associations as part of their schematic self-knowledge, and such associations automatically activate the neural networks for emotional response and control, in which vmPFC plays a central role. This may explain female cognitive/behavioral traits; females have more tendency to ruminate more often than males, which sometimes results in a prolonged negative affect.

Factors Associated with Low Self-Esteem in Children with Overweight*

Objective: Low self-esteem is one of the main psychosocial factors related to childhood overweight. Yet not all overweight children are affected. Little is known about what characterises the group of overweight children with the lowest self-esteem. Our aim was to identify factors related to low domain-specific self-esteem in children with overweight/obesity. Methods: Children (aged 10–13; N = 5,185) and parents from a large population-based sample completed the Eating Disturbance Scale, the Self-Perception Profile for Children, and questions about bullying and socio-economic status (SES). Parents reported the child’s weight and height. 545 children with overweight/obesity were identified in the overall sample and selected for the current analyses. Self-esteem scores from this group were compared to scores from children with normal weight. Factors examined in relation to self-esteem in children with overweight/obesity were: age, gender, SES, disturbed eating, bullying, parents’ evaluation of weight status and degree of overweight. Results: Children with overweight scored significantly lower than normal-weight children on all self-esteem domains. Athletic competence and physical appearance were most impaired. Disturbed eating and bullying were related to low physical appearance as well as scholastic, social and athletic self-esteem. Being female, a pre-teen, having a higher BMI and being evaluated as overweight by parents were associated with lower satisfaction with physical appearance. Conclusions: Disturbed eating and bullying are significantly related to low self-esteem in the overweight group.

Dance confidence, age and gender

Dance confidence is a measure of domain-specific self-esteem as applied to how a person feels about their social and recreational dance ability. This study is concerned with how dance confidence varies as a function of gender and age group. Thirteen thousand seven hundred and fifteen people watched a video and then completed an on-line survey. The results show that dance confidence varies as a function of gender and age group, such that, in general, females have higher levels of dance confidence than males, and dance confidence changes at significant points in the developmental cycle. For females, dance confidence levels start high in early adolescence, they drop significantly post-16 and then rise steadily through late-teens and early 20s before leveling off during mid-life. There is a significant drop in dance confidence for women when they reach their mid-late 50s. For men, dance confidence levels start low and then rise steadily during late teens and early 20s, before leveling off during mid-30s. There is a significant increase in dance confidence for men when they reach their mid-60s. The results, and the link between social dance and self-esteem, are discussed within the context of two theoretical models of self-esteem, the “Reflected Appraisal Model” and the “Competencies Model”.

Gender Differences in Domain-Specific Self-Esteem: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis examines gender differences in 10 specific domains of self-esteem across 115 studies, including 428 effect sizes and 32,486 individuals. In a mixed-effects analysis, men scored significantly higher than women on physical appearance ( d = 0.35), athletic ( d = 0.41), personal self ( d = 0.28), and self-satisfaction self-esteem ( d = 0.33). Women scored higher than men on behavioral conduct ( d = −0.17) and moral–ethical self-esteem ( d = −0.38). The gender difference in physical appearance self-esteem was significant only after 1980 and was largest among adults. No significant gender differences appeared in academic, social acceptance, family, and affect self-esteem. The results demonstrate the influence of reflected appraisals on self-esteem.