Global, contingent and implicit self-esteem and psychopathological symptoms in adolescents

Arjan E R Bos*, Jorg Huijding, Peter Muris, Laura R R Vogel, Jacqueline Biesheuvel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Previous research with adolescents has demonstrated that global self-esteem is related to various types of psychopathology including depression, anxiety and eating problems. In the last decade, other components of self-esteem have been identified, namely contingent and implicit self-esteem. Contingent and implicit self-esteem have not yet been extensively studied among adolescents. Furthermore, the unique and interactive effects of the different components of self-esteem on adolescent mental health have not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present study examined relationships between global, contingent and implicit self-esteem, on the one hand, and psychopathological symptoms, on the other, in a sample of non-clinical adolescents (N = 264). Participants completed a survey and a computerized implicit association test. The results demonstrated unique and interactive effects of global and contingent self-esteem on symptoms of depression, anxiety and eating problems in adolescents. Implicit self-esteem was not found to be related to psychopathological symptoms in adolescents. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)311-316
Number of pages6
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume48
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Adolescents
  • Anxiety
  • Contingent self-esteem
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders
  • Global self-esteem
  • Implicit self-esteem

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