High Levels Of Self-concept Research Articles

Who Am I? Self-concept in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis: Association with Anxiety and Depression.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a progressive condition resulting in reduced lung function and strongly associated with elevated anxiety and depression symptoms. Self-concept refers to an individual's overarching sense of identity, a positive level of which is widely associated with reduced anxiety and depression. There is a significant lack of self-concept research within CF. This study explores the association between self-concept and anxiety and depression in adults with CF. 64 adults living with CF in Western Australia completed validated online questionnaires (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Tennessee Self-Concept Questionnaire 2: Short-Form) and consented to the collection of medical data. Descriptive, t-test, correlation and multiple regression analysis were undertaken. Higher levels of self-concept were associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. Lower self-concept levels were a significant predictor of increased anxiety and depression symptoms after accounting for physical health status. Mean self-concept scores for those who required mental health intervention were significantly lower compared to those that did not. This study identifies a significant relationship between self-concept and anxiety and depression in adults with CF. Further research is required to establish causation and test the feasibility of self-concept interventions in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.

STEM learning opportunities and career aspirations: the interactive effect of students’ self-concept and perceptions of STEM professionals

BackgroundStudents’ positive perceptions of scientists or engineers have been reported to be positively related to their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career aspirations. However, other research indicates that positive perceptions of experts in these fields might not necessarily lead to students’ pursuit of STEM careers. Self-concept, defined as one’s perceived abilities in specific academic domains, likely plays a moderating role in the relationship between perceptions and career aspirations according to the motivational theory of role modelling. Moreover, students’ perceptions of STEM professionals might be sourced from STEM-related media and school experiences. Therefore, through running a moderated mediation model, this study examined whether and how the influences of media consumption and school STEM learning opportunities on career aspirations would be mediated by perceptions of STEM professionals, and whether the mediation effect would be conditional on students’ self-concept.MethodsData were collected through an online survey of 608 primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong, and were analysed using structural equation modelling.ResultsResults revealed that the students’ positive perceptions of STEM professionals were positively associated with their career aspirations, and mediated the links from media consumption and school opportunities to career aspirations. In addition, this mediated pathway depended on STEM self-concept, such that perceptions of STEM professionals were only linked with STEM career aspirations for adolescents with average or high levels of self-concept.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest the need to pay attention to the STEM perceptions and self-concept interaction while designing and implementing learning activities to connect a diversity of students with STEM careers. It is not only important to foster students’ self-concept, but also to enrich their knowledge of diverse occupations, so as to help diversify their perceptions that being professionals in these fields is desirable and attainable, and to eventually inspire more student engagement and participation in STEM.

Exploring control-value motivational profiles of mathematics anxiety, self-concept, and interest in adolescents.

In this study, we identified multidimensional profiles in students' math anxiety, math self-concept, and math interest using data from a large generalizable sample of 16,547 9th grade students in the United States who participated in the National Study of Learning Mindsets. We also analyzed the extent that students' profile memberships are associated with related measures such as prior mathematics achievement, academic stress, and challenge-seeking behavior. Five multidimensional profiles were identified: two profiles which demonstrated relatively high levels of interest and self-concept, along with low math anxiety, in line with the tenets of the control-value theory of academic emotions (C-VTAE); two profiles which demonstrated relatively low levels of interest and self-concept, and high levels of math anxiety (again in accordance with C-VTAE); and one profile, comprising more than 37% of the total sample, which demonstrated medium levels of interest, high levels of self-concept, and medium levels of anxiety. All five profiles varied significantly from one another in their association with the distal variables of challenge seeking behavior, prior mathematics achievement, and academic stress. This study contributes to the literature on math anxiety, self-concept, and interest by identifying and validating student profiles that mainly align with the control-value theory of academic emotions in a large, generalizable sample.

Understanding the Complex Relationships Between Homophobic Bullying and Depression

Although homophobic bullying has been shown to play an important role in poor mental health outcomes, especially depression, little is known about the mediating and moderating role underlying this mechanism. Thus, as a part of this study, we try to understand whether gender-based bullying mediates the relationship between homophobic bullying and depression and whether the self-concept moderates this mediating process. A sample of 431 respondents, 18 years and above were surveyed through online mode to understand homophobic bullying and its implications on the mental health of the people who identify as LGBTQ. The results indicated that homophobic bullying was significantly and positively associated with depression. This relationship was mediated by gender-based bullying. Moderated-mediation analysis further revealed that self-concept moderates the relationship between gender-based bullying and depression. This relationship is stronger for LGBTQ individuals with higher levels of self-concept. Hence, there is a need to develop (a) strong supportive LGBTQ ally groups in educational and professional spaces to ensure safety and support for the bullied; and (b) create inclusive policies in academic and professional settings to ensure lower levels of bullying.

Susceptibility to eating disorders among collegiate female student-athletes.

Research has suggested that the prevalence of young women with eating disorders (EDs) is increasing, but determining the exact prevalence of EDs within the female student-athlete (FS-A) population is difficult. Looking at certain traits may help us to identify their level of susceptibility to developing an ED. To determine the susceptibility of FS-As to EDs in relation to self-concept, including self-esteem and body image. Cross-sectional study. Athletic training and health centers at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, II, and III institutions via e-mail questionnaire correspondence. A total of 439 FS-As from 17 participating institutions completed the questionnaires. The sample was primarily white (83.1%) and underclass (61.8%). The questionnaire consisted of 4 parts: 3 subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Body Cathexis Scale, and demographic items. A total of 6.8% of FS-As were susceptible to anorexia and 1.8% were susceptible to bulimia. The majority of FS-As (61%) reported normal self-esteem levels, whereas 29.4% had high self-esteem. Overall, 64.5% were satisfied and 23% were very satisfied with their body image. These results are generally positive in that they suggest FS-As have high levels of self-concept and are at low risk to develop EDs. However, these findings do not mean that all concerns should be dismissed. Although more than 90% of the respondents were not susceptible to an ED, there are still FS-As who may be. Athletic departments should evaluate their FS-As' levels of self-concept so that their susceptibility to EDs can be addressed. The emotional aspect of health care should be included in providing holistic care for student-athletes. Athletic trainers often are the primary health care providers for FS-As, so they should be made aware of this concern.

Do Delinquent Young Adults Have a High or a Low Level of Self-concept?

This study explored the levels of self-concept of delinquent young adults (n = 873). This question is of theoretical and practical importance, as therapeutic programs addressing the self-concept must be based on clear evidence. The present study demonstrated that self-concept is related to delinquent behavior and that men and women differ both in the strength and direction of the association. Furthermore, Bayesian latent class analysis revealed that both high-delinquent and non-delinquent men and women fall into two groups: those with high levels of self-concept and those with low levels of self-concept. This pattern emerged across the 12 different domains of self-concept assessed. These results may help to explain inconsistent results of previous studies on the link between self-concept and delinquency.

Self-Concept of Adolescent Boys and Girls of 11 th and 12 th Standard Of kolkata City: A Comparative Study

Self-concept is a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual's perception of 'self in relation to any characteristics. It includes past, present and future selves of an individual. The self-concept may include the perception of one's abilities, motives, attitudes, beliefs, and other personality characteristics. The self-concept is composed of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as the perception of one's personality attributes, skills and abilities, motives, attitudes, beliefs, physical attributes and other personality characteristics. A person's self-concept may change with time, possibly if going through a turbulent periods of identity crisis and reassessments. In other words, the term self-concept refers to the ordered set of attitudes and perceptions that an individual holds about him or herself (Wolffe, 2000; Woolfolk, 2001; Tuttel & Tuttel, 2004).In an interesting study by Blomfield and Barber (2009) the relationship between Australian adolescents' participation in extracurricular activities and their self-concepts was investigated. Adolescents who participated in both sports and non-sports also reported a more positive social self-concept and general self-worth, compared to those who only participated in one of the activity types. This research provides support for extracurricular activities, which is considered as an essential part for learning social behaviour is facilitative of positive self-concept, and demonstrates the importance of a mixed participation profile for an adolescent's self-concept. Ybrandt (2008) observed association between positive self-concept and adjustment and for protection against common problem behaviour. A negative self-concept combined with female gender was risk factor for internalized problems. Self-control had only a direct effect on externalizing behaviour for boys. Adolescents of 15, 16 years of age had a stronger relationship between a negative self-concept and externalizing problem behaviour than younger and older adolescents. Internalizing problem behaviours such as anxiety and depression predicted aggressive and delinquent behaviour. These findings highlight the importance of promoting of a positive self-concept in every adolescent in various psychosocial contexts. Chang et al. (2003) revealed that social self-concept was a stronger correlate of life satisfaction for adolescents than for children.Evidence indicates boys having better self-concept as compared to girls (Park, 2003; Al-Zyoudi, 2007) whereas some studies found exactly the reverse (Wang, 1997). Crain (1996) noted that although the previous research in this area has been somewhat contradictory, there has been a consistent stream of findings documenting significant gender differences in domain specific areas of self-concept. Crain (1996) suggested that these differences were most notable in the areas of physical abilities and physical appearance, where boys appear to have higher levels of self-concept. However, the overall conclusion of this review was that the differences in self-concept among boys and girls are slight. The study by Byrne and Shavelson (1987) tested the invariance of a multidimensional, hierarchical self-concept structure for adolescent males and females. In a covariance structure analysis of data from a sample of 832 (412 males, 420 females) grade 11 and 12 students, with multiple measures of general, academic, English, and mathematics self-concept facets, self-concept structure differed for males and females. Although the number of self-concept factors, pattern of factor loadings (except for one), and hierarchical structure were invariant across gender, relations among the factors differed. Kaur et al., (2009) found self-concept to be positively correlated with academic achievement, though statistically not significant. However, a significantly positive relationship of home environment components of protectiveness, conformity, reward, and nurturance with self-concept has been revealed, and thereby author suggested use of rewards and nurturance from parents for positive self-concept development among adolescents. …

Nonparticipation in Adult Education

In this article, the authors propose that dispositional factors do not sufficiently explain nonparticipation in adult education programs. Many nations report low participation rates, but empirical studies have usually been conducted with enrolled adults. This study, however, included 279 poorly educated mestizas and Native women in two regions of Mexico who were not participating in institutional programs; a mixed quantitative–qualitative methodology was used. The study focused on self-perceptions and beliefs, assuming that values for these variables would be low acting as dispositional barriers to participation; however, this hypothesis was not confirmed. On the contrary, high levels of self-concept, self-efficacy, and a belief that women are intelligent demonstrated that these women have a very positive self-image. Discussion points to sociocultural categories as an alternative explanation to why rural women harbor positive self-perceptions and why remedial basic adult education is not relevant to their social sphere.

Maternal Self-Concept and Breastfeeding

To test the hypothesis that mothers with high self-concept will be more likely to breastfeed their infants than those with lower self-concept, 2 cohorts of mothers of term newborns were assessed by different forms of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. In study 1, mothers exclusively breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum had significantly higher self-concept than those exclusively formula feeding. In study 2, exclusively breastfeeding mothers had higher scores for total self-concept compared with those exclusively formula feeding. Exclusively breastfeeding mothers also scored higher on several individual dimensions of self-concept, notably those reflecting self-satisfaction, behavior, moral worth, value as a family member, and physical appearance. Mothers partially breastfeeding had intermediate levels of self-concept in both studies. Even after controlling for demographic and social factors and for breastfeeding initiation in regression analyses, self-concept remained significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding in both studies. Thus, compared with mothers who exclusively formula feed their infants, exclusively breastfeeding mothers have higher levels of self concept.

The relationship between dimensions of classroom and family environments and the self-concept, satisfaction, and achievement of grade 7 and 8 students

This study examined the relationships between dimensions of classroom and family environments and various aspects of the adaptation of grade 7 and 8 students. Classroom climates providing support and structure were consistently associated with high levels of student scholastic self-concept and satisfaction with teacher. Families with high degrees of parent-child interaction and climates providing support and structure were generally associated with high levels of self-concept (peer, scholastic, and general), satisfaction with family, and, to a lesser extent, achievement. There was some evidence that gains in self-concept and achievement over the course of the school year were related to classroom or family environment variables. Students with the highest levels of scholastic self-concept had both classroom and family environments high in support and structure. The results provided partial support for invitational learning theory, which postulates that environments which provide structure, along with support and nurturance, invite affective and intellectual growth in students.