Abstract
Adolescent self-esteem and depression are influenced by important psychosocial factors such as parental relationships, yet it is unclear how these within-person relations present over time. The current study investigates the longitudinal relations between self-esteem, depressed affect, and parent-adolescent closeness during middle adolescence. Adolescents (n = 562; mean age = 14.73, SD = 0.82; 52% female; 72% White, 28% Racial Minority) were surveyed annually over four years (1988–1991). A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was applied to disaggregate between- and within-person associations. Consistent with the scar model, adolescents experiencing heightened depressed affect were likely to have lower self-esteem. Furthermore, perceived mother-adolescent, but not father-adolescent, closeness positively predicted adolescent self-esteem. The results highlight the importance of considering interpersonal relationships and age in developmental models of self-esteem and depression.
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Notes
.1, .3, and .5 were used as criteria for small, medium, and large within-person effect sizes (Gignac & Szodorai, 2016).
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Acknowledgements
The Youth Development Study was supported by grants titled, “Work Experience and Mental Health: A Panel Study of Youth,” from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD44138) and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH42843). The findings and conclusions in this study are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the sponsors.
Authors’ Contributions
T.T. conceived of the study, participated in its design, performed the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; Q.L. participated in the design, consulted the statistical analyses and interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript; D.A.C. participated in the design, consulted the interpretation of the data, and provided critical feedback on the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Data Sharing and Declaration
All datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available at the ICPSR repository, https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/studies/24881/. Dataset access is available to users at ICPSR member institutions.
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Tran, T., Liu, Q. & Cole, D.A. Prospective and Contemporaneous Relations of Self-Esteem and Depressed Affect in the Context of Parent-Child Closeness during Adolescence: A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model. J Youth Adolescence 52, 506–518 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01705-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01705-2