Testing the vulnerability and scar models of self-esteem and depressive symptoms from adolescence to middle adulthood and across generations.

Abstract

The vulnerability model states that low self-esteem functions as a predictor for the development of depressive symptoms whereas the scar model assumes that these symptoms leave scars in individuals resulting in lower self-esteem. Both models have received empirical support, however, they have only been tested within individuals and not across generations (i.e., between family members). Thus, we tested the scope of these competing models by (a) investigating whether the effects hold from adolescence to middle adulthood (long-term vulnerability and scar effects), (b) whether the effects hold across generations (intergenerational vulnerability and scar effects), and (c) whether intergenerational effects are mediated by parental self-esteem and depressive symptoms and parent-child discord. We used longitudinal data from adolescence to middle adulthood (N = 1,359) and from Generation 1 adolescents (G1) to Generation 2 adolescents (G2) (N = 572 parent-child pairs). Results from latent cross-lagged regression analyses demonstrated that both adolescent self-esteem and depressive symptoms were prospectively related to adult self-esteem and depressive symptoms 3 decades later. That is, both the vulnerability and scar models are valid over decades with stronger effects for the vulnerability model. Across generations, we found a substantial direct transmission effect from G1 to G2 adolescent depressive symptoms but no evidence for the proposed intergenerational vulnerability and scar effect or for any of the proposed mediating mechanisms. AbstractThe vulnerability model states that low self-esteem functions as a predictor for the development of depressive symptoms whereas the scar model assumes that these symptoms leave scars in individuals resulting in lower self-esteem. Both models have received empirical support, however, they have only been tested within individuals and not across generations (i.e., between family members). We thus tested the scope of these competing models by (a) investigating whether the effects hold from adolescence to middle adulthood (long-term vulnerability and scar effects), (b) whether the effects hold across generations (intergenerational vulnerability and scar effects) and (c) whether intergenerational effects are mediated by parental self-esteem and depressive symptoms and parent-child discord. We used longitudinal data from adolescence to middle adulthood (N = 1,359) and from Generation 1 adolescents (G1) to Generation 2 adolescents (G2) (N = 572 parent-child pairs). Results from latent cross-lagged regression analyses demonstrated that both adolescent self-esteem and depressive symptoms were prospectively related to adult self-esteem and depressive symptoms three decades later. That is, both the vulnerability and scar models are valid over decades with stronger effects for the vulnerability model. Across generations, we found a substantial direct transmission effect from G1 to G2 adolescent depressive symptoms but no evidence for the proposed intergenerational vulnerability an...

Self-esteem in Early Adolescence as Predictor of Depressive Symptoms in Late Adolescence and Early Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Motivational and Social Factors

“…Due to the one-time measurement of self-esteem, we were not able to test effects of depressive symptoms on self-esteem and how these may have affected the mediators included in our models. Although less consistently and weaker than vulnerability effects, the opposite so-called scar effects have been found in previous research (Shahar and Davidson 2003 ; Sowislo and Orth 2013 ; Steiger et al 2015 ), so we cannot rule out that such effects influenced the reported results. Another consequence of this limitation is that we were not able to test whether the social factors affected self-esteem over time.…”

The Lifespan Self-Esteem scale: Initial validation of a new measure of global self-esteem suitable for use with children and adults

“…Correlations are similar across all of the self-esteem measures, and high self-esteem is positively related to attachment security to parents and romantic partners, narcissistic admiration, narcissism, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, trait mood, optimism, and life satisfaction; whereas low self-esteem is positively related to narcissistic rivalry, depression, and neuroticism. These patterns are consistent with past research on self-esteem and the Big Five personality traits (Robins, Tracy, Trzesniewski, Potter, & Gosling, 2001), narcissism (Ackerman & Donnellan, 2013), depression (Ulrich Orth, Robins, Widaman, & Conger, 2014;Steiger, Fend, & Allemand, 2015), and optimism (Scheier et al, 1994). Interestingly, the magnitudes of the LSE correlations tend to fall in between those of the existing measures.…”

The temporal sequence of depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and self-esteem across adolescence: Evidence for an integrated self-perception driven model

“…Having negative self-regard is highly maladaptive (Beck, 1970;Egan & Perry, 1998;Heimpel et al, 2002;Tsaousis, 2016;Zeigler-Hill, 2011). Low self-esteem in adolescence even has longterm effects on adult mental health decades later (Steiger et al, 2015), and can interact with other dimensions of cognitive processes to influence a wide array of psychosocial adjustment outcomes (Heimpel et al, 2002;Roberts & Monroe, 1999;Southall & Roberts, 2002). Researchers have shown that adolescent selfesteem predicts poorer social constructs in adulthood (e.g., subjective social integration and support; Gruenenfelder -Steiger, Harris, & Fend, 2016).…”