Previous research has identified multiple developmental trajectories of self-esteem in adolescence along with psychosocial factors that differentiate trajectory groups. Results of these and other studies have suggested relations between self-esteem and social support, coping, stress, academic achievement, and life satisfaction. In the first study of the present research, 469 adolescents (235 females and 234 males) were followed from Grades 8 to 10, through the transition to high school in Grade 9. Cluster analysis identified four trajectories of self-esteem: Consistently High (n = 147, 31.3%), Decreasing (n = 99, 21.1%), Increasing (n = 160, 34.1%), and Consistently Low (n = 63, 13.4%). These trajectories showed differential patterns on measures of reported friend, family, and esteem-enhancing social support, avoidant coping, and daily hassles. The Consistently High group reported increases in friend and esteem-enhancing support and decreased use of avoidant coping between Grades 8 and 10. The Increasing group reported increases in all three types of reported social support across the three years. The Decreasing group reported an increase in daily hassles between Grades 8 and 10. Although not different in reported self-esteem in Grade 8, the Consistently High and Decreasing groups were discriminated on the basis of all three types of reported social support, with students in the Decreasing group reporting less support. The Consistently High group demonstrated the most positive pattern of adjustment, the Consistently Low group demonstrated the most negative pattern, and the two changing groups generally demonstrated outcomes between the two other groups. Results supported the conceptualization of trajectories as representative of distinct patterns of development in adolescence. In the second study, a subset of 338 adolescents (166 females and 172 males) was followed up in their Grade 11 year. As in the first study, the Consistently High group demonstrated the most positive adjustment and the Consistently Low group had the most negative outcomes. However, there was no additional differentiation between the Decreasing and Increasing groups at Grade 11. Reported life satisfaction was the variable that most strongly distinguished the trajectory groups in Grade 11. Further research is needed to identify self-esteem trajectories that represent the entire developmental stage of adolescence, as well as to aid in the early identification of at-risk self-esteem groups for the purpose of targeting appropriate interventions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/6275 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Silverthorn, Naida. |
| Contributors | Crombie, Gail, |
| Publisher | University of Ottawa (Canada) |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 193 p. |
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