Academic Achievement and Self-Esteem Among Black and White College Students

Abstract

Most studies on self-esteem among black and white Americans include samples of elementary school and high school students. In the present study, data on 298 black and white college students and an examination of the relationship between student's grade point average and self-esteem were presented. Several findings corroborate earlier research on school-age children. Self-esteem scores of blacks and whites were not significantly different, despite blacks having significantly lower grade point averages than whites. The relationship between grade point average and self-esteem, however, was negligible among blacks and among white males, suggesting that academic achievement is not critical to the self-concept of college students.     

Satisfaction with Parenting: A Comparison Between Adolescent Mothers and Fathers

In this study we compared adolescent mothers and the fathers of their infants to examine levels of and predictors of parenting satisfaction. Participants were 41 adolescent mothers who were contacted through alternative school programs and the fathers of their infants. Not all of the fathers were adolescents. The sample was racially diverse (White, Black, Native American, and Hispanic). Correlation and t test analyses were conducted and those variables that were significantly correlated with parenting satisfaction were used in regression analyses. Mothers' parenting satisfaction and paternal control scores were higher than fathers' scores. Self-esteem, age at the baby's birth, and social support satisfaction significantly predicted parenting satisfaction for fathers, whereas only self-esteem and social support satisfaction did so for mothers.     

Motor competence predicts self-esteem during childhood in typical development children

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to study the relationship between motor competence (MC) and self-esteem in children between 7 and 13 years of age.MethodsThis is five years mixed longitudinal study, although only the last two years were included in the analysis. Participants were N = 144 of both sexes (69 girls) divided in 6 cohorts. At baseline the youngest and the oldest cohorts had 4 and 9 years of age respectively. MC was assessed with KTK. Self-esteem and self-worth were assessed with the Portuguese version of Physical Self-Perception Profile for Children and Youth (PSPP-CY). Cross-lagged models were used to find out whether MC predicts self-esteem and self-worth, or the reverse. Linear mixed models were applied.ResultsOverall, only self-esteem was predicted by MC across age. Results show that self-esteem had a significant decrease between 7 and 13 years of age (−0.56) and that MC is positively associated with self-esteem (b = 0.006).ConclusionsMC had a mitigating effect on the decrease of self-esteem. Promoting MC during childhood and adolescence might have a positive effect on children's well-being and mental health and prevent them to dropout from physical activities.     

Self-esteem of adolescent girls as related to weight

The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale was administered to 550 14- and 16-yr.-old (+/- 6 mo.) girls. Self-esteem scores were categorized by weight and weight by height. Scores on the Quetelet Index for obesity were correlated with self-esteem scores. Mean self-esteem of the low- and middle-weight by height group was significantly higher than the mean of the high-weight by height group. In analyzing weight alone, the self-esteem of the middle-weight group was significantly higher than the self-esteem of the high-weight group. The correlation of the obesity index and self-esteem indicated that as weight increased self-esteem decreased.     

Psychometric properties of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in women with breast cancer

Background/Objective:The aim was to analyse the psychometric properties of the 10-item version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10©) in breast cancer patients. Method: A sample of 169 Spanish women who had undergone surgery for breast cancer completed the CD-RISC 10©, along with questionnaires assessing life satisfaction, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a single-factor structure with adequate fit indices. Reliability was analysed by calculating McDonald’s omega coefficient, which yielded a value of .83. Validity evidence based on relationships with other variables was provided by positive and significant correlations between scores on the CD-RISC 10© and scores on emotional intelligence (clarity and repair), life satisfaction, self-esteem and positive affect, and by a negative and significant correlation with negative affect. The majority of these correlations were above |.50|. Conclusions: The CD-RISC 10© has satisfactory psychometric properties and is a suitable tool for measuring resilience in patients with cancer. The instrument is quick and easy to apply and may be used in both clinical and research contexts.     

Psychological effects of permanently implanted false teeth: A 2-year follow-up and comparison with dentate patients

Abstract

The treatment of patients who have suffered total tooth loss (edentulism) has always posed many problems in dental care, since removable dentures cannot restore function completely and can often result in pain and mouth ulcers. An important recent advance is the development of “osseointegrated implants”. This technique involves the insertion of titanium screws into the jawbone and the denture is then attached to this fixed bridge. A previous controlled study (Kent and Johns, 1991) has shown that in the short term this technique is associated with a reduction in psychological distress and the number of dentally disabling symptoms, but no change in self-esteem. The aims of the current study were to (a) conduct a longer-term follow-up of these patients (the implant group) and (b) compare their adjustment with patients who possess their natural teeth (the dentate group). Twenty implant patients completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and a check-list of disabling symptoms on three occasions: before treatment, six months and 24 months post-treatment. Sixty-one dentate patients from four general dental practices completed the same questionnaires on a single occasion. In the implant group at 24 months, the number of psychological symptoms (GHQ) had returned to the pre-treatment level, even though the reduction in the number of disabling symptoms was maintained. Self-esteem remained unchanged. There was considerable individual variation in changes in GHQ scores, although, on average, the implant group's level of well-being at 24 months was similar to the dentate patients' on all measures.     

Robustness of two single-item self-esteem measures: cross-validation with a measure of stigma in a sample of psychiatric patients

Robins' Single-item Self-esteem Inventory was compared with a single item from the Coopersmith Self-esteem. Although a new scoring format was used, there was good evidence of cross-validation in 83 current and former psychiatric patients who completed Harvey's adapted measure of stigma felt and experienced by users of mental health services. Scores on the two single-item self-esteem measures correlated .76 (p < .001), .76 and .71 with scores on the longer scales from which they were taken, and .58 and .53, respectively, with Harvey's adapted stigma scale. Complex and perhaps competing models may explain links between felt stigma and poorer self-esteem in users of mental health services.     

Performance feedback,self-esteem,and cardiovascular adaptation to recurring stressors

Background and Objectives: This study sought to examine the effects of performance feedback and individual differences in self-esteem on cardiovascular habituation to repeat stress exposure.

Methods: Sixty-six university students (n?=?39 female) completed a self-esteem measure and completed a cardiovascular stress-testing protocol involving repeated exposure to a mental arithmetic task. Cardiovascular functioning was sampled across four phases: resting baseline, initial stress exposure, a recovery period, and repeated stress exposure. Participants were randomly assigned to receive fictional positive feedback, negative feedback, or no feedback following the recovery period.

Results: Negative feedback was associated with a sensitized blood pressure response to a second exposure of the stress task. Positive feedback was associated with decreased cardiovascular and psychological responses to a second exposure. Self-esteem was also found to predict reactivity and this interacted with the type of feedback received.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that negative performance feedback sensitizes cardiovascular reactivity to stress, whereas positive performance feedback increases both cardiovascular and psychological habituation to repeat exposure to stressors. Furthermore, an individual’s self-esteem also appears to influence this process.     

Self-Esteem as a Predictor of Attitudes Toward Wife Abuse Among Muslim Women and Men in Canada

Abstract

This study was designed (a) to assess attitudes toward wife abuse in a sample of Muslim women and men in Canada and (b) to assess whether those attitudes were influenced by self-esteem. Results suggested that, as in general North American samples, the Muslim women and men did not differ from each other on levels of self-esteem. Also consistent with general North American samples, the Muslim women's and men's attitudes toward wife abuse were related to their self-esteem, with higher self-esteem scores predicting stronger attitudes against wife abuse, independent of gender. However, the results also revealed that the Muslim men had significantly more lenient attitudes toward wife abuse compared with the Muslim women and with North American norms.     

L’échelle d’orientation contingente extrinsèque (ÉOCE) : traduction et validation francophone du Extrinsic Contingency Focus Scale (ECFS)

IntroductionThe Extrinsic Contingency Focus Scale (ECFS; Williams et al., 2010) measures the general propensity to base one's self-evaluation on extrinsic contingencies.ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the ECFS.MethodFour studies were conducted to test the factorial structure of the scale, internal consistency, temporal stability and predictive validity of the French version.ResultsAs anticipated, results from studies 1 and 2 confirmed the scale's unidimensional structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Study 3 established the convergent validity of the scale, while the last study demonstrated its predictive validity in the context of terror management theory (Solomon et al., 1991).ConclusionOverall, the results show the usefulness of this contingent self-esteem measure and suggest that the psychometric properties of the French version of the instrument are equivalent to the original English version.     

Mental health,self-esteem,and influences on sexual values and attitudes among black South African adolescent males

This study investigated the relationships between sexual values and attitudes, self-esteem, and mental health among black South African adolescents. Adolescent males (n = 522) aged between 13 and 21 years participated in the study. They completed the Mathteck Sexuality Questionnaire for Adolescents: Attitude and Value Inventory, the Rosenburg Self-esteem Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum. Structural Equation Modelling (Mplus 7.31) was computed to identify an explanatory model for sexual values and attitudes as correlated to self-esteem and mental health of black adolescent males. Results suggest the youth's self-esteem significantly mediate the relationship between mental health and sexual values and attitudes. Specifically, mental health had indirect effects on values about sexuality and on healthy attitudes towards aspects of intimacy, through the teenagers’ self-esteem.     

Discussions on Child Development: A Consideration of the Biological,Psychological, and Cultural Approaches to the Understanding of Human Development and Behaviour. Volumes I and II Edited by J. M. Tanner and B. Inhelder

Self-esteem and peer relationships are such interconnected phenomena that the self-evaluation may be viewed, in large measure, as the inner experience of the esteem in which one is held by one's peers. The ability to have successful peer relations, which validates one's sense of personal worth, depends on positive self-esteem. This article provides a review of the relevant research literature of the last ten years, but it is of interest that discussions of the relationship between self-esteem and peer relations date back to William James, and include Sullivan, Cooley, and Piaget.

When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes

I all alone beweep my outcast state, … Shakespeare Sonnet 29     

研究生归因风格及其与自尊关系的研究

研究采用多维归因量表(MMCS)和自尊量表(SES)对研究生归因风格及自尊对归因风格的影响进行调查研究,结果显示:总体上,研究生归因风格呈现内控倾向,年级之间差异显著;对于成败,高自尊学生倾向于归因努力、能力等内部因素;自尊对归因风格有较好的预测作用。     

Urban-Nonurban Differences in Social Cognition: Locus of Control and Perceptions of a Just World

Abstract

American male and female college students who were randomly assigned to one of six groups viewed a 60-s videotape. The content of the tape was derived from the factorial combination of sex of model (both American and White) on the tape with duration of eye contact (5 s, 30 s, or 50 s) maintained by the model with an interviewer. After viewing the tape, the subjects completed the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory (O'Brien &; Epstein, 1988) as they thought the model in the tape would. For all 10 self-esteem component scales, scores significantly increased as amount of eye contact increased. For 7 of the 10 scales, self-esteem scores for the female model were higher than those for the male model. The data generally extend and support previous research demonstrating that, as eye contact increases between Americans, American observers rate them more favorably.     

自尊与心理性应激的关系初探

自尊水平影响着个体在应激情境中的内分泌反应,在以人个人主义文化下的研究发现,由于低自尊具有较低的内部控制力,因此在应激情境中的唾液皮质醇反应更强烈。但是在中国集体主义文化中,由于集体性自我的评价是自尊的一个重要组成部分,高自尊更加期望集体或社会的积极性评价,因此假设在心理性应激情境下（即个体的能力被否定的时候）,高自尊的应激反应会比低自尊更加强烈。本研究以健康大学生为被试,分别以Rosenberg自尊量表和特里尔社会应激测试（TSST）为实验手段,以自尊量表得分、主观应激报告（5点量表）和客观应激参数（心率和唾液皮质醇）为指标,在中国文化背景下探讨自尊与心理性应激的关系。结果发现,在TSST开始时（20分钟）自尊与心率呈正相关,自尊水平越高,心率越快;在TSST结束后（60分钟）自尊与唾液皮质醇水平呈正相关,自尊水平越高,唾液皮质醇水平越高。总体来说,相对于低自尊被试而言,高自尊被试在心理性应激情境中的反应更为强烈。     

Interrogative suggestibility,delayed memory and self-concept

This study investigates the relationship between interrogative suggestibility as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) and variables related to memory recall and self-esteem. There were 30 Ss, tested twice 1 week apart. After completing the GSS they were required to fill in a number of Semantic Differential scales relating to the concepts: Myself as I am generally, Myself during the experiment and The experimenter. Ss were generally more suggestible during the second interview when their memory about the context of the interrogation context had deteriorated. The exception was that negative feedback appeared to have most effect on suggestibility and self-esteem the first time it was applied. Self-esteem related to ‘competence’ and ‘potency’ correlated significantly with suggestibility, especially during the first interrogative session. Perceptions of the experimenter were generally not found to be significantly related to suggestibility.     

Psychological disengagement as a silent response to perceived (present and future) sex-based disadvantage among female office workers

IntroductionReactions to perceived disadvantage can be of the silent type: individuals may psychologically disengage their self-esteem from a domain such as work, by discounting the feedback received and devaluing the domain.ObjectivesThe first goal of this study was to evaluate whether feelings of relative deprivation based on temporal and social comparisons are differently associated with psychological disengagement mechanisms. The second goal was to shed light on the role played by the social standing of one's occupation and the status of one's group in the profession (minority or majority group) in the link between disengagement mechanisms and self-esteem.MethodSurvey data from female office workers (n = 154) were analyzed via structural equation modeling.ResultsResults suggest that the associated outcomes of relative deprivation do not differ according to the type of comparisons (social or temporal). Moreover, they highlight the importance of the social standing of a profession in the link between disengagement mechanism and self-esteem. In this sample, discounting was shown to bruise one's self-view.ConclusionTheoretical contributions and limitations are discussed. Finally, some practical implications are presented.     

Procedural fairness and self-esteem

We argue that people's self-esteem is affected by the fairness of procedures to which they are subjected; unfair treatment will lower self-esteem. Moreover, since this influence on self-esteem is presumably due to the implicit evaluation expressed by the choice of procedure and hence by the evaluation expressed by the person implementing the procedure, people's concern with the fairness of treatment will be focused on the interactional aspects of the procedure. In two experiments designed to test these hypotheses subjects received either a high or a low grade on an ability test on the basis of either fair or unfair grading procedures. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that subjects' self-esteem was lower after unfair treatment, and this influence was only apparent when subjects received high test feedback. Additionally, ratings of the fairness of the interaction were lower following unfair grading procedures. Experiment 2 also manipulated level of involvement with the test. Self-esteem was affected by procedural fairness and procedural fairness influenced perceived fairness of the interaction only in the high involvement condition.     

Validation d’une mesure d’orientations envers les buts au travail auprès de participants à une évaluation du potentiel et des compétences

IntroductionGoal orientations are a characteristic of the personality explaining different reactions in achievement and learning situations. So far, no French instrument exists to measure this variable in a professional context.ObjectiveThe purpose of this article is to validate a French translation of the VandeWalle instrument (1997) measuring goal orientation at work, with a sample of workers participating in a potential and skills assessment (PSA).MethodThe instrument has been translated using the parallel-blind method suggested by Usunier (1992) and adapted by Lauzier and Haccoun (2010). Confirmatory factorial analyses were conducted to verify the factor structure of the translated version and correlational analyses were performed to assess its nomological validity. The study was conducted with workers (n = 263) from various organizational backgrounds who were subjected to a PSA.ResultsThe three-dimensional factor structure of the Work Goal Orientation Scale (WGOS), consistent with the one proposed by VandeWalle (1997), shows a good fit to the data. The learning, performance-approach and performance-avoidance orientations mainly show the expected associations with three correlates: self-esteem, the anticipated benefits of the PSA and the intention to develop one's skills following the feedback.ConclusionThe measure has a satisfactory nomological validity and can be used to study people's reactions towards learning situations in the workplace.     

Big men feeling small: Childhood bullying experience, muscle dysmorphia and other mental health problems in bodybuilders

ObjectivesMuscle dysmorphia (MD) is a preoccupation with the idea that one's body is insufficiently lean and muscular and considered as a body image disorder in men. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of MD with childhood bullying victimization experiences and mental health problems in a nonclinical sample of male bodybuilders.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 100 male bodybuilders.MethodsParticipants completed a questionnaire battery consisting of the muscle dysmorphic inventory (MDI), and scales on childhood bullying victimization, self-esteem, and psychological problems including depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms.ResultsHigh scores on the MDI and bullying victimization in childhood predicted global psychopathology and low self-esteem. Psychological functioning and self-esteem were most strongly adversely affected if the men were victims of bullying and scored high on the MDI (significant moderation effect). Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses furthermore found an indirect linkage of victimization with global psychopathology and self-esteem via MDI (mediation effect).ConclusionsChildhood bullying victimization and MD are strongly associated with concurrent anxiety, depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms and low self-esteem.