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School-Based Extracurricular Activity Involvement and Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Growth-Curve Analysis

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Abstract

Research on adolescent self-esteem indicates that adolescence is a time in which individuals experience important changes in their physical, cognitive, and social identities. Prior research suggests that there is a positive relationship between an adolescent’s participation in structured extracurricular activities and well-being in a variety of domains, and some research indicates that these relationships may be dependent on the type of activities in which adolescents participate. Building on previous research, a growth-curve analysis was utilized to examine self-esteem trajectories from adolescence (age 14) to young adulthood (age 26). Using 3 waves of data from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 5,399; 47.8% male), the analysis estimated a hierarchical growth-curve model emphasizing the effects of age and type of school-based extracurricular activity portfolio, including sports and school clubs, on self-esteem. The results indicated that age had a linear relationship with self-esteem over time. Changes in both the initial level of self-esteem and the growth of self-esteem over time were significantly influenced by the type of extracurricular activity portfolio. The findings were consistent across race and sex. The results support the utility of examining the longitudinal impact of portfolio type on well-being outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

This article uses data from Add Health, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris, and funded by a grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Persons interested in obtaining data files from Add Health should contact Add Health, Carolina Population Center, 123 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2524 (addhealth@unc.edu). The authors also thank the three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and constructive critiques.

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  1. Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 711 Oldfather Hall, P.O. Box 880324, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0324, USA

    Lisa A. Kort-Butler & Kellie J. Hagewen

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  1. Lisa A. Kort-Butler
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  2. Kellie J. Hagewen
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Correspondence to Lisa A. Kort-Butler.

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Kort-Butler, L.A., Hagewen, K.J. School-Based Extracurricular Activity Involvement and Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Growth-Curve Analysis. J Youth Adolescence 40, 568–581 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9551-4

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