title: How do you feel? Self-esteem predicts affect, stress, social interaction, and symptom severity during daily life in patients with chronic illness.
abstract: Self-esteem has been demonstrated to predict health and well-being in a number of samples and domains using retrospective reports, but little is known about the effect of self-esteem in daily life. A community sample with asthma (n = 97) or rheumatoid arthritis (n = 31) completed a self-esteem measure and collected Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data 5x/day for one week using a palmtop computer. Low self-esteem predicted more negative affect, less positive affect, greater stress severity, and greater symptom severity in daily life. Naturalistic exploration of mechanisms relating self-esteem to physiological and/or psychological components in illness may clarify causal relationships and inform theoretical models of self-care, well-being, and disease management.
authors.affiliation: Syracuse University, USA.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Juth
authors.forename: Joshua M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Alecia M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Santuzzi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000523:psychology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000523:psychology*; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055809:Illness Behavior; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult