Developmental Change and Time-Specific Variation in Global and Specific Aspects of Self-Concept in Adolescence and Association With Depressive Symptoms
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online June, 2014
Developmental Change and Time-Specific Variation in Global and Specific Aspects of Self-Concept in Adolescence and Association With Depressive Symptoms
Previous research has demonstrated that adolescents make differential self-evaluations in multiple domains that include physical appearance, academic competence, and peer acceptance. We report growth curve analyses over a 7-year period from age 9 to 16 on the six domains of the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children. In general, we find little change in self-concept, on average, but do find substantial individual differences in level, rate of change, and time-specific variation in these self-evaluations. The results suggest that sex differences and adoptive status were related to only certain aspects of the participants’ self-concept. Depressive symptoms were found to have significant effects on individual differences in the rate of change and on time-specific variation in general self-concept, as well as on some of the specific domains of self-concept.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
AshworthC. M.BlackburnI. M.McPhersonF. M. (1982). The performance of depressed and manic patients on some repertory grid measure: A cross-sectional study. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 55, 247-255.
3.
BaldwinS. C.HoffmannJ. P. (2002). The dynamics of self-esteem: A growth-curve Analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31, 101-113.
4.
BeckA. T. (1972). Depression causes and treatment. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
5.
BirkelandM. S.MelkevikO.HolsenI.WoldB. (2012). Trajectories of global self-esteem development during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 43-54.
6.
BlockJ.RobinsR. W. (1993). A longitudinal study of consistency and change in self-esteem from early adolescence to early adulthood. Child Development, 64, 903-929.
7.
BologniniM.PlancherelB.BettschartW.HalfonO. (1996). Self-esteem and mental health in early adolescence: Development and gender differences. Journal of Adolescence, 19, 233-245.
8.
BologniniM.PlancherelB.NunezR.BettschartW. (1993). La mesure des effets du temps d’apparition de la puberté sur la sante psychique a la préadolescence: Résultats dune étude longitudinal [Assessment of the effects of age at start of puberty on mental health in pre-adolescence: Results of a longitudinal study] (1989-1991). Revue d Epidemiologie et de Sante Publique, 41(4), 337-345.
9.
BrodzinskyD. M.SchechterM. D.HenigR. M. (1992). Being adopted: The lifelong search for self. New York, NY: Anchor Books/Doubleday.
10.
CairnsE.McWhirterL.DuffyU.BarryR. (1990). The stability of self-concept in late adolescence: Gender and situational effects. Personality and Individual Differences, 11, 449-463.
11.
CantinS.BoivinM. (2004). Change and stability in children’s social network and self-perceptions during transition from elementary to junior high school. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28, 561-570.
12.
CassidyJ. (1988). Child-mother attachment and the self in six-year-olds. Child Development, 59, 121-134.
13.
ChubbN. H.FertmanC. I.RossJ. L. (1997). Adolescent self-esteem and locus of control: A longitudinal study of gender and age differences. Adolescence, 125, 113-129.
14.
ColeD. A.JacquezF. M.TracyL. M. (2001). Social origins of depressive cognitions: A longitudinal study of self-perceived competence in children. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 25, 377-395.
15.
ColeD. AMartinJ. M.PeekeL. G.Seroczynskia D.HoffmanK. (1998). Are cognitive errors of underestimation predictive or reflective of depressive symptoms in children: A longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107(3), 481-96.
16.
ColeD. A.MaxwellS. E.MartinJ. M.PeekeL. G.SeroczynskiA. D.TramJ. M.. . .MaschmanT. (2001).The development of multiple domains of child and adolescent self-concept: A cohort sequential longitudinal design. Child Development, 76, 1723-1746.
17.
CoyneJ. C.GalloS. M.KlinkmanM. S.CalarcoM. M. (1998). Effects of recent and past major depression and distress on self-concept and coping. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 86-96.
18.
CrainR. M. (1996). The influence of age, race, and gender on child and adolescent multidimensional self-concept. In BrackenB. A. (Ed.), Handbook of self-concept: Developmental, social, and clinical considerations (pp. 395-420). New York, NY: Wiley.
19.
CrockerA. D.Hakim-LarsonJ. (1997). Predictors of pre-adolescent depression and suicidal ideation. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 29, 76-82.
20.
DanielsD.MoosR. H. (1990). Assessing life stressor and social resources among adolescents: Application to depressed youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 5, 268-289.
21.
De FraineB.DammeJ. VanOnghenaP. (2007). A longitudinal analysis of gender differences in academic self-concept and language achievement: A multivariate multilevel latent growth approach. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(1), 132-150.
22.
DeFriesJ. C.PlominR.FulkerD. W. (1994). Nature and nurture during middle childhood. Oxford: Blackwell.
23.
DerogatisL. R. (1972). SCL-90 Administration, scoring and procedure manual-I. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University, School of Medicine.
24.
DuboisD. L.TevendaleH. D. (1999). Self-esteem in childhood and adolescence: Vaccine or epiphenomenon. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 8, 103-117.
25.
EcclesJ.WigfieldA.HaroldR. D.BlumenfeldP. (1993). Age and gender differences in children’s self- and task perceptions during elementary school. Child Development, 64, 830-847.
26.
ErolR. Y.OrthU. (2011). Self-esteem development from age 14 to 30 years: A longitudinal Study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 607-619.
27.
FeigelmanW. (2005). Are adoptees at increased risk for attempting suicide?Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 35, 206-216.
28.
GaraM. A.WoolfolkR. L.CohenB. D.GoldsteinR. B.AllenL. A.NovalayJ. (1993). Perception of self and other in major depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 10, 93-100.
29.
GarberJ.QuiggleN.ShanleyN. (1990). Cognition and depression in children and adolescents. In IngramR. E. (Ed.), Contemporary psychological approaches to depression (pp. 87-115). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
30.
GentileB.GrabeS.Dolan-PasconeB.TwengeJ. M.WellsB. E.MaitinoA. (2009). Gender differences in domain specific self-esteem: A meta- analysis. Review of General Psychology, 13, 34-45.
31.
HarterS. (1983). Supplementary description of the self-perception profile for children: Revision of the perceived competence scale for children (Unpublished manuscript). University of Denver, Denver, CO.
32.
HarterS. (1985). Manual for the self-perception profile for the children. Denver, CO: University of Denver.
33.
HarterS. (1986). Cognitive-developmental processes in the integration of concepts about emotions and the self. Social Cognition, 4, 119-151.
34.
HarterS. (1990). Causes, correlates, and functional role of global self-worth: A life span perspective. In StenbergR.KolliganJ.Jr. (Eds.), Competence considered (pp. 67-97). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
35.
HarterS. (1999). The construction of the self: A developmental perspective. New York, NY: Guilford.
36.
HarterS. (2012). Self -perceptıon profıle for chıldren: Manual and questıonnaires (revised). Denver, CO: University of Denver.
37.
HayI.AshmanA. F. (2003). The development of adolescents’ emotional stability and general self-concept: The interplay of parent, peers, and gender. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 50, 77-91.
38.
HergovichA.SirschU.FelingerM. (2004). Gender differences in the self-concept of preadolescent children. School Psychology International, 25, 207-222.
39.
HoffmanK. B.ColeD. A.MartinJ. M.TramJ.SeroczynskiA. D. (2000). Are the discrepancies between self- and others’ appraisals of competence predictive or reflective of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: A longitudinal study, part II. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 651-662.
40.
JacobsE. J.LanzaS.OsgoodD. W.EcclesJ. S.WigfieldA. (2002). Changes in children’s self-competence and values: Gender and domain differences across Grades one through twelve. Child Development, 73, 509-527.
41.
JufferF. (2006). Children’s awareness of adoption and their problem behavior in families with 7-year-old internationally adopted children. Adoption Quarterly, 9(2/3), 37-41.
42.
JufferF.Bakermans-KranenburgM. J.Van IJzendoornM. H. (2005). The importance of parenting in the development of disorganized attachment: Evidence from a preventive intervention study in adoptive families. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 263-274.
43.
JufferF.Van IJzendoornM. H. (2007). Adoptees do not lack self-esteem: A meta-analysis of studies on self-esteem of transracial, international and domestic adoptees. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 1067-1083.
44.
KandelD. B.DaviesM. (1982). Epidemiology of depressive mood in adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1205-1212.
45.
KellyM. M.Towner-ThyrumE.RigbyA.MartinB. (1998). Adjustment and identity formation in adopted and nonadopted young adults: Contributions of family environment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68, 497-500.
46.
KlingK. C.HydeJ. S.ShowersC. J.BuswellB. N. (1999). Gender differences in self-esteem: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 470-500.
47.
KnoxM.FunkJ.ElliottR.BushE. G. (2000). Gender differences in adolescents’ possible selves. Youth & Society, 31, 287-309.
48.
LansfordJ. E.CeballoR.AbbeyA.StewartA. J. (2001). Does family structure matter? A comparison of adoptive, two parent biological, single-mother, step father, and stepmother households. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 840-851.
49.
LanzM.IafrateR.RosnatiR.ScabiniE. (1999). Parent-child communication and adolescent self-esteem in separated; inter country adopted, and intact non-adoptive families. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 785-794.
50.
LittleR. J. A.RubinD. B. (1987). Statistical analysis with missing data. Wiley: New York.
51.
MaianoC.NinotG.BilardJ. (2004). Age and gender defects on global self-esteem and physical self-perception in adolescents. European Physical Education Review, 10, 53-69.
52.
MarshH. W. (1989). Age and sex effects in multiple dimension of self-concept: Early adolescence to early adulthood. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 417-430.
53.
MarshH. W.AyotteV. (2003). Do multiple dimensions of self-concept become more differentiated with age? The differential distinctiveness hypothesis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 687-706.
54.
MarshH. W.ParadaR. H.AyotteV. (2004). A multidimensional perspective of relations between self-concept (self description questionnaire ii) and adolescent mental health (youth self-report). Psychological Assessment, 16, 27-41.
55.
McGrathE. P.RepettiR. N. (2002). A longitudinal study of children’s depressive symptoms, self-perceptions, and cognitive distortions about the self. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 77-87.
56.
MillerH. M. (2000). Cross-cultural validity of a model of self-worth: Application to Finnish children. Social Behavior and Personality, 28, 105-118.
57.
MonetaG. B.SchneiderB.CsikszentmihalyiM. (2001). A longitudinal study of self-concept and experiential components of self-worth and affect across adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 5, 125-142.
58.
MontagueM.EndersC.DietzS.DixonJ.CavendishW. M. (2008). A longitudinal study of depressive symptomology and self-concept in adolescents. Journal of Special Education, 42, 67-78.
59.
MulD.OostdijkW.DropS. L. S. (2002). Early puberty in adopted children. Hormone Research, 57, 1-9.
60.
OrthU.RobinsR. W.RobertsB. W. (2008). Low self-esteem prospectively predicts depression in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, 95, 695-708.
61.
OrthU.RobinsR. W.TrzesniewskiK. H.MaesJ.SchmittM. (2009). Low self-esteem is a risk factor for depressive symptoms from young adulthood to old age. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118, 472-478.
62.
PassmoreN. L.FogartyG. J.BourkeC. J.Baker-EvansS. F. (2005). Parental bonding and identity style as correlates of self-esteem among adult adoptees and nonadoptees. Family Relations, 54, 523-534.
63.
PetersonA. C.CompasB. E.Brooks-GunnJ.StemmlerM.EyS.GrantK. E. (1993). Depression in adolescence. American Psychologist, 48, 155-168.
64.
PlominR.DeFriesJ. C. (1985). Nature and nurture in infancy and early childhood (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
65.
QuatmanT.WatsonC. M. (2001). Gender differences in adolescent self-esteem: An explanation of domains. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 162, 93-117.
66.
PlominR.DeFriesJ. C.FulkerD. W. (1988). Nature and nurture during infancy and early childhood. New York: Cambridge University Press.
67.
RhodesJ.RoffmanJ.ReddyR.FredriksenK. (2004). Changes in self-esteem during the middle school years: A latent growth curve study of individual and contextual influences. Journal of School Psychology, 42, 243-261.
68.
RobertsJ. E.MonroeS. M. (1992). Vulnerable self-esteem and depressive symptoms: Prospective findings comparing three alternative conceptualizations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 804-812
69.
RobinsonN. S.GarberJ.HilsmanR. (1995). Cognitions and stress: Direct and moderating effects on depressive versus externalizing symptoms during the junior high school transition. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 453-463.
70.
RohdeP.LewinsohnP. M.SeeleyJ. R. (1990). Are people changed by the experience of having an episode of depression? A further test of the scar hypothesis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 264-271.
71.
RueterM. A.KeyesM. A.IaconoW. G.McGueM. (2009). Family interactions in adoptive compared ton on adoptive families. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 58-66.
72.
RueterM. A.KoernerA. K. (2008). The effect of family communication pattern on adopted adolescent adjustment. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 715-727.
73.
Salmela-AroK.NurmiJ.-E. (1996). Depressive symptoms and personal project appraisals: A cross-lagged longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(3), 373-381.
74.
ShaharG.DavidsonL. (2003). Depressive symptoms erode self-esteem in severe mental illness: A three-wave, cross-lagged study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 890-900.
75.
ShapkaD. J.KeatingD. P. (2005). Structure and change in self-concept during adolescence. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 37, 83-96.
76.
SingerJ. D.WillettJ. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal analysis modeling: Change and event occurrence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
77.
StataCorp. (2009). Stata statistical software: Release 11. College Station, TX: Author.
78.
TaylorL. D.Davis-KeanP.MalanchukO. (2007). Self-esteem, academic self-concept, and aggression at school. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 130-136.
79.
TeasdaleJ. D. (1983). Negative thinking in depression: Cause, effect, or reciprocal relationship?Advances in Behavior Research and Therapy, 5, 3-25.
80.
TramJ. M.ColeD. A. (2000). Self-perceived competence and the relation between life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence: Mediator or moderator?Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 753-760.
81.
Van den BerghB. R. H.De RyckeL. (2003). Measuring the multidimensional self-concept and global self-worth of 6 to 8 year olds. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164, 201-225.
82.
Van IJzendoornM. H.JufferF. (2006). The Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 2006: Adoption as intervention. Meta-analytic evidence for massive catch-up and plasticity in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 1228-1245.
83.
WernerE. (1993). Risk, resilience, and recovery: Perspectives from the Kauai Longitudinal Study. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 503-515.
84.
WhitesellN. R.MitchellC. M.KaufmanC. E.SpicerP., & Voices of Indian Teens Project Teams. (2006). Developmental trajectories of personal and collective self-concept among American Indian adolescents. Child Development, 77, 1487-1503.
85.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ. S.Mac IverD.ReumanD. A.MidgleyC. (1991). Transitions during early adolescence: Changes in children’s domain-specific self-perceptions and general self-esteem across the transition to junior high school. Developmental Psychology, 27, 552-565.
86.
WilgenbuschT.MerrellK. W. (1999). Gender differences in self-concept among children and adolescent: A meta-analysis. School Psychology Quarterly, 14, 101-120.
87.
YeS.YuL.LiK. (2012). A cross-lagged model of self-esteem and life satisfaction: Gender differences among Chinese university students. Personality and Individual Differences, 52, 546-551.
88.
YoungJ. F.MroczekD. K. (2003). Predicting intraindividual self-concept trajectories during adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 586-600.
89.
ZimmermanM. A.CopelandL. A.ShopeJ. T.DielmanT. E. (1997). A longitudinal study of self-esteem: Implications for adolescent development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 26, 117-141.
