Dynamic growth models of self-esteem and adolescent alcohol use

Latent growth modeling was used to test dynamic relations between self-este em and alcohol use in 740 middle school youth assessed at four time points. Self-esteem was characterized by a negative growth trajectory, whereas alc ohol use increased steadily in a linear fashion. An initial simplified mode l positing bidirectional influences indicated an inverse relation between c hanges in self-esteem and alcohol use over time, but that initial level of neither alcohol use nor self-esteem influenced changes in the other constru ct. With the addition of external covariates (i.e., gender and indices of s ocial skills and competence risk), findings indicated that high initial lev el of self-esteem fostered more increases in alcohol use compared To low in itial level of self-esteem. Findings further indicated that youth with poor competence skills advanced more rapidly in their alcohol use and declined more gradually in their self-esteem, and that poor social skills accelerate d the rate of decline in self-esteem. Results indicate that self-esteem is parr of a dynamic set of etiological forces that instigate early-stage alco hol use.