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

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.