Lm. Deihl et al., LONGITUDINAL TRAJECTORIES OF SELF-ESTEEM FROM EARLY TO MIDDLE ADOLESCENCE AND RELATED PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES AMONG RURAL ADOLESCENTS, Journal of research on adolescence, 7(4), 1997, pp. 393-411
This study examined both intraindividual and interindividual differenc
es in self-esteem longitudinally among 142 rural adolescents. Data wer
e collected over a 4-year period beginning immediately after the trans
ition to junior high school and encompassing the transition to high sc
hool. Cluster analysis identified three distinct, divergent trajectori
es of self-esteem change from early to middle adolescence: Consistentl
y High (47%), Small Increase (37%), and Chronically Low (16%). Cluster
s differed significantly on peer and family relationships and on emoti
onal tone in a pattern consistent with differences in level of self-es
teem. The findings support previous research regarding covariates of s
elf-esteem across school transitions and illustrate the variability of
self-esteem among rural adolescents.