EFFECT OF UNEMPLOYMENT ON SCHOOL LEAVERS SELF-ESTEEM

Young people who do nor go ro college after high school face much high er unemployment rates than adults, and their failure ro find satisfact ory employment may impede the growth of self-esteem at a crucial devel opmental stage. The effect of unemployment was studied in a subsample from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth whose self-esteem was m easured in 1980 while still in school and again in 1987. Unemployment and unsatisfactory employment in 1987 were both negatively related to self-esteem in 1987. All groups showed increases in self-esteem betwee n interviews, but those satisfactorily employed gained most. In a diff erent analysis, the percentage of time unemployed since leaving school was also negatively related to self-esteem. Although percentage of ti me unemployed did not add any explanatory power to the prediction of 1 987 self-esteem by 1987 unemployment, it may operate indirectly on sel f-esteem via 1987 employment status.