Self-esteem links in families with 12-year-old children and in separated spouses.
The aim of the present study is to map associations of self-esteem in families with 12-year-old children and in separated spouses. The authors assessed self-esteem using the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adults (B. Messer & S. Harter, 1986) and the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children (S. Harter, 1988; L. Wichstrom, 1995) in (a) 1,236 pairs of spouses and their 12-year-old children and (b) 159 pairs of ex-spouses. The authors found links for all aspects of self-esteem for married and cohabiting spouses in contrast with ex-spouses who lacked such associations. Ex-spouses had a lower global self-worth than did married and cohabiting spouses. The authors also found parent-child associations for self-esteem. Girls resembled their mothers' global self-worth more than their fathers' and more than the boys. Family members manifest similar levels of self-esteem. The spouses' similarity can be due to assortative mating, a convergence over time, or both. For children, environmental influence in the family context can contribute to the formation of self-esteem. The stronger mother-girl link suggests that maternal identification of self-esteem is an environmental factor for girls in particular.
Elfhag
Kristina
K
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. kristina.elfhag@ki.se
Tynelius
Per
P
Rasmussen
Finn
F
D002648:Child; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D015406:Single Parent / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013548:Sweden