The Development of Global and Domain-Specific Self-Esteem From Age 13 to 31
Journal article, Peer reviewed
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https://hdl.handle.net/10642/3037Utgivelsesdato
2015-07-13Metadata
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Originalversjon
von Soest, T., Wichstrøm, L., & Kvalem, I. L. (2015). The Development of Global and Domain-Specific Self-Esteem From Age 13 to 31. Journal of personality and social psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000060Sammendrag
This study examines the development of global self-esteem and self-esteem in six 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 selfesteem
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 selfesteem
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 selfesteem
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.