Locus of control and self-esteem as moderators of stressor-symptom relations in children and adolescents

Locus of control and self-esteem were examined as moderators of links between negative life events and psychological symptoms in 238 young people 8 to 16 years old. Results indicated that locus of control buffered the effects of stressors on psychological symptoms, and the pattern of buffering did not differ by age or gender. Self-esteem buffered the link between Stressors and symptoms, but only for girls. Further analyses with girls only revealed a conjunctive moderation effect of locus of control and self-esteem: When faced with many negative life events, girls who have both an external locus of control and low esteem show the highest psychological maladjustment.The writing of this article was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Training grant 5 T 32 MH18387-03 in Child Mental Health/Primary Prevention.