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Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood.

2006; American Psychological Association; Volume: 42; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.381

1939-0599

Kali H. Trzesniewski, M. Brent Donnellan, Terrie E. Moffitt, Richard W. Robins, Richie Poulton, Avshalom Caspi,

Optimism, Hope, and Well-being

Using prospective data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study birth cohort, the authors found that adolescents with low self-esteem had poorer mental and physical health, worse economic prospects, and higher levels of criminal behavior during adulthood, compared with adolescents with high self-esteem. The long-term consequences of self-esteem could not be explained by adolescent depression, gender, or socioeconomic status. Moreover, the findings held when the outcome variables were assessed using objective measures and informant reports; therefore, the findings cannot be explained by shared method variance in self-report data. The findings suggest that low self-esteem during adolescence predicts negative real-world consequences during adulthood.