Self-esteem, depression, and alcohol dependency among high school students

The Relationship between Self-Esteem and Parenting Style

Within Western cultures, self-esteem consistently has been demonstrated to be inversely related with parenting styles characterized by low levels of acceptance and high levels of overprotection (i.e., affectionless control). Although in traditional collectivist cultures there may be a preference for this parenting style, within a strong collectivist framework it is not thought to have a negative impact on self-esteem. However, for immigrant adolescents, the cultural context of collectivism may no longer support such a parenting style as adaptive, particularly because they tend to acculturate more quickly than their parents. To investigate this proposal, 118 Vietnamese Australian and 120 Anglo-Australian adolescents, aged 11 to 18 years, were recruited. They were administered the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory; the Parental Bonding Instrument, an acculturation measure; and two subscales of Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire. As expected, parenting characterized by high levels of overprotection and low levels of acceptance related negatively with self-esteem for both samples of adolescents.

Exploration of Substance Use Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth

The prevalence and correlates of substance use and abuse were explored among lesbian, gay male, and bisexual youth recruitedfrom gay-focused organizations in New York City. Lifetime substance use was prevalent andfrequent, as was quantity of use and substance abuse symptoms. Few significant gender or ethnic differences emerged, but the significant differences unexpectedly indicated that the female youth were at greater risk for substance abuse than the male youth. Number of substances ever used and substance abuse symptoms were associated with initiating alcohol and illicit drugs to cope with psychological issues. Howeve, number of substances ever used and substance abuse symptoms were not explained by social learning theory, social control theory, or self-derogation theory when relations were explored. Thefindings are interpretedfrom the perspective of sexual identity, specifically that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth may use substances to cope with the societal stigma of homosexuality.

Desire to Work as a Death Anxiety Buffer Mechanism

Four studies were conducted to examine the death anxiety buffering function of work as a terror management mechanism, and the possible moderating role of culture. In Study 1, making mortality salient led to higher reports of participants’ desire to work. In Study 2, activating thoughts of fulfillment of the desire to work after mortality salience reduced the accessibility of death-related thoughts. In Study 3, activating thoughts of fulfillment of the desire to work reduced the effects of mortality salience on out-group derogation. In Study 4, priming thoughts about obstacles to the actualization of desire to work led to greater accessibility of death-related thoughts. Although two different cultures with contrasting work values were examined, the results were consistent, indicating that the desire to work serves as a death anxiety buffer mechanism in both cultures.

The role of family support and parental monitoring as mediators in Mexican American adolescent drinking

This study contributes to the current gap in the literature on drinking behaviors among Mexican American youth by exploring the role of family relationships as a mediator against alcohol use. This is a secondary analysis of data from a nationally representative study on Adolescent Health (ADD Health) collected in 1995 and focuses on a sample (n = 1,424) of Mexican American teens across the United States. Analysis of the data utilizes multiple regression to identify risks and protective factors of adolescent drinking in Mexican American youth. The study's implications and limitations are noted and important areas for future research are considered.

Stress and coping mediate relationships between contingent and global self-esteem and alcohol-related problems among college drinkers

This study examined the hypotheses that contingent self-esteem would be positively associated with alcohol-related problems and that global self-esteem would be negatively associated with such problems. It also examined the hypothesis that high stress and maladaptive coping would mediate these relationships. A sample of college students (n = 399) who were predominantly Hispanic (89%) completed measures of global and contingent self-esteem; stress and coping; and alcohol-related problems. Correlational and latent variable analyses indicated that contingent self-esteem positively related to alcohol-related problems, with maladaptive coping mediating this relationship. In contrast, global self-esteem negatively related to such problems, a relationship that was also mediated by maladaptive coping and stress. Overall, the results highlight the potentially harmful consequences of contingent self-worth and the adaptive nature of non-contingent self-esteem. They also demonstrate the important role that coping plays in mediating self-esteem's associations with alcohol-related problems.

Self-referential thinking, suicide, and function of the cortical midline structures and striatum in mood disorders: possible implications for treatment studies of mindfulness-based interventions for bipolar depression

Bipolar depression is often refractory to treatment and is frequently associated with anxiety symptoms and elevated suicide risk. There is a great need for adjunctive psychotherapeutic interventions. Treatments with effectiveness for depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as suicide-related thoughts and behaviors would be particularly beneficial. Mindfulness-based interventions hold promise, and studies of these approaches for bipolar disorder are warranted. The aim of this paper is to provide a conceptual background for such studies by reviewing key findings from diverse lines of investigation. Results of that review indicate that cortical midline structures (CMS) appear to link abnormal self-referential thinking to emotional dysregulation in mood disorders. Furthermore, CMS and striatal dysfunction may play a role in the neuropathology underlying suicide-related thoughts and behaviors. Thus, combining studies of mindfulness interventions targeting abnormal self-referential thinking with functional imaging of CMS and striatal function may help delineate the neurobiological mechanisms of action of these treatments.

Mediators and moderators of parental alcoholism effects on offspring self-esteem

AIMS

The goal of the proposed study was fourfold: (i) to examine the effects of parental alcoholism on adult offspring's self-esteem; (ii) to identify and test possible mediators and moderators of parental alcoholism effects on the self-esteem of adult offspring; (iii) to examine the utility and relevance of attachment theory (Bowlby J. (1969) Attachment and Loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books) in explaining parental alcoholism effects on self-esteem and (iv) to address some of the methodological limitations identified in past research on adult children of alcoholics (ACOA).

METHODS

Participants (N = 515) completed retrospective reports of parental alcoholism, family stressors, family communication patterns, parental attachment and a current measure of self-esteem.

RESULTS

The results showed support for the detrimental effects of parental alcoholism on offspring self-esteem and offered partial support for family stressors as a mediator of parental alcoholism effects on parental attachment and parental attachment as a mediator of parental alcoholism effects on offspring self-esteem, respectively. Finally, support was found for family communication patterns as a moderator of the effects of family stressors on attachment.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings offer preliminary support for the utility of attachment theory in explicating parental alcoholism effects on the self-esteem of adult offspring. Findings from the present study make salient the need to consider factors beyond the identification of parental alcohol abuse when explicating individual differences in offspring self-esteem in adulthood. The identification of protective and risk factors can contribute to the development of optimal intervention strategies to help ACOAs better than simply the knowledge of family drinking patterns.

Gender Differences in the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory

In a study of 802 16-year-old pupils, Francis (1998) found that males scored significantly higher than females on the school short-form of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. He concluded that this instrument may be biased in favor of males. The original data employed by Francis have now been re-examined for the incidence of differential item functioning (DIF) by the Mantel-Haenszel, logistic regression, and SIBTEST statistical procedures. The present study has confirmed that 11 items exhibit DIF, on six of which females outperform males and on five of which males outperform females, but no statistically significant collective DIF was found for the set of the 11 items that exhibited DIF. It has been concluded, therefore, that the differences in levels of self-esteem reported by Francis (1998) are the result of genuine gender differences in self-esteem and not to any artifact of test construction. Individual examination of the items that show DIF supports the widely held view that, in general, among males self-esteem tends to be generated personally, whereas among females self-esteem is more dependent on interactions with others.

Effect of smoking on depressive symptomatology: a reexamination of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

Using 1995-1996 data from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Adolescent Health Study, the authors found that respondents who smoked cigarettes scored, on average, three points higher than did nonsmokers on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. This gap persists even after accounting for observable factors, such as personal and parental characteristics. In contrast, controlling for the influence of unobservable factors potentially correlated with smoking behavior and depression produces smaller estimates. For instance, estimates from a linear regression model augmented with fixed effects suggest that the average male smoker would score 0.84 points higher on the CES-D Scale (95% confidence interval: 0.44, 1.25) than his nonsmoking counterpart; the average female smoker is predicted to score 1.25 points higher on the CES-D Scale (95% confidence interval: 0.75, 1.75) than her nonsmoking counterpart. The authors conclude that, for the average adolescent, the association between smoking and the symptoms of depression can in large part be attributed to the influence of unobservable factors.

Effects of identification and usefulness of the Lie Scale of the Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI-R) in the assessment of adolescent drug use

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of subject identification versus anonymity on adolescents' drug use assessment using the Drug Use Screening Inventory-R and to assess the usefulness of the "Lie Scale" of that instrument.

METHODS

Six hundred and fifty-five Brazilian students (5th to 11th graders) from a public school of São Paulo participated in the study. One third of them were instructed to put their names on the questionnaire, one third answered it anonymously and the remaining ones were partially identified according to a code list that was kept by one student who represented his classmates. The answers of the identified groups of students were compared with those from the anonymous group. According to their scores in the Lie Scale, the students were divided into two groups: low and high score groups.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

No significant differences were found among anonymous, identified and partially identified groups regarding alcohol or drug consumption report, or in the density of problems in all drug use screening inventory (DUSI) areas. Regarding the Lie Scale, the high score group reported lower alcohol or drug consumption and fewer alcohol or drug related problems in all DUSI areas when compared to the low score group. The results suggest that identification or anonymity does not affect the students' answers to the DUSI and point out the usefulness of the Lie Scale of DUSI-R.

Card Perseveration Task performance and post-task feeling states: relationship to drug use in adolescents

This study examined whether performance on the Card Perseveration Task (Card Task) and self-report of feeling state after the task are related to self-report of drug use. The evaluation was of 64 adolescents from an adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic (40 males, aged 15.5 years, SD = 1.6; 24 females aged 16.9 years, SD = 1.5). Drug use histories were obtained using a substance dependence symptom checklist based on DSM-III-R. The Card Task was administered, and after completion, a Post-Task Self-Report (PTSR) was administered. A factor analysis with varimax rotation grouped the 28 items of the PTSR into Distress, Happy, Satisfied, and Wanting to Win subscales. Correlations of drug use with performance on the Card Task and the PTSR subscales were obtained. Cards Played on the Card Task were correlated with alcohol (cc = .31, p < or = .01); marijuana (cc = .35, p < or = .01) and polydrug (cc = .26, p < or = .05) dependence symptoms. Money Won on the Card Task was correlated negatively with nicotine (cc = -.26, p < or = .05) and marijuana (cc = -.27, p < or = .05) dependence symptoms. The PTSR Distress subscale correlated with nicotine (cc = .49, p < or = .001), alcohol (cc = .37, p < or = .01), marijuana (cc = .39, p < or = .01), and polydrug (cc = .49, p < or = .001) dependence symptoms. These findings provide evidence that both the Card Task and feeling states associated with task performance are related to self-reports of drug use.

Adolescent depression: important facts that matter

PURPOSE

To determine if there are differences in adolescent depression using variables of age, gender, smoking, and alcohol use.

METHODS

A comparative, descriptive survey design was used. The adolescents (N = 217) completed either the Beck Depression Inventory or the Children's Depression Inventory and a demographic questionnaire.

FINDINGS

The 15- to 16-year-olds (p = .016), females (p = .003), and smokers (p = .001) scored significantly higher than the 12- to 14-year-olds on depression. The 15- to 16-year-olds who used alcohol were found to be twice as depressed as the nonusers (p = .002). No significant differences were found in the 17- to 19-year-old age group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed depression increased with age, in females, and with smokers. Nurses are in a unique position to provide interventions to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce the likelihood of depression and alcohol and nicotine abuse in adolescents.

Training school counselors in substance abuse risk reduction techniques for use with children and adolescents

A training project prepared school counselors for expanded roles in the prevention, early detection, and appropriate referral of students at high risk of substance abuse. The project trained middle and high school counselors to work as facilitators of support groups for students at greatest risk for substance abuse; the results were: 1) greater perceived self-efficacy, comfort, confidence, and competence by counselors as a result of Initial, Experiential, and Concurrent training, and 2) improved ability to use group counseling techniques as a result of training.

Self-esteem deficits and suicidal tendencies among adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Self-esteem can play an important role in suicidal tendencies among adolescents. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between self-esteem deficits and suicidal tendencies in 254 adolescent psychiatric inpatients and 288 high school students.

METHOD

The direct relationship between self-esteem and suicidal tendencies was examined by assessing suicidal ideation and history of suicide attempts. An indirect relationship between self-esteem and suicidality was examined by assessing depression and hopelessness.

RESULTS

Differences were found across gender and hospitalization status, with males reporting higher self-esteem than females and high school students scoring higher in self-esteem than psychiatric inpatients. However, correlations among variables remained similar across gender and hospitalization status. Thus, low self-esteem was related to higher levels of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and an increased likelihood of having previously attempted suicide. Furthermore, self-esteem added to the understanding of suicidal ideation beyond what could be explained by depression and hopelessness.

CONCLUSIONS

Low self-esteem was closely related to feelings of depression, hopelessness, and suicidal tendencies. Assessment of adolescents should include an evaluation of self-esteem, and therapy should attempt to address any self-esteem deficits.

UNFAVORABLE OUTCOMES OF THE IDENTITY CRISIS AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS INFLUENCED BY ENFORCED ACCULTURATION

Adolescents face an identity crisis which needs to be favorably resolved in order for the individuals to become independent, effective adults; unfavorable resolution leads to confusion of ones adult sense of identity. African-American adolescents have a particularly complex task attempting favorable resolution due to enforced acculturation with views and concerns relating to American history, culture, educational systems, religious institutions, science, philosophy, literature, politics and law, which have little association with African backgrounds. African cultural artifacts and mentifacts would tend to facilitate a more favorable outcome of the identity crisis among African-American adolescents.

Antidepressants suppress bulbectomy-induced augmentation of voluntary alcohol consumption in C57B1/6j but not in DBA/2j mice

Bulbectomy has been previously shown to produce the specific antidepressant-sensitive syndrome in C57Bl/6j, but not DBA/2j mice. The present study examined the effect of the depression on voluntary alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption and alcohol preference (% of alcohol solution in total liquid) in a free-choice, two-bottle situation was measured in C57BL/6j and DBA/2j mice after sham-operation, anosmia with 10% ZnSO4, or bulbectomy. Both anosmic and bulbectomized mice of both strains consumed more alcohol and showed stronger preference for alcohol than sham-operated mice. In DBA/2j mice both operations altered alcohol consumption of the whole population, and the effect of bulbectomy was stronger. In C57Bl/6j mice bulbectomy and, to a less degree, anosmia seemed to affect predominantly the low-drinking animals. Chronic treatment with antidepressants amitriptyline (20 mg/kg), trazodone (20 mg/kg), and imipramine (10 mg/kg), did not change alcohol consumption in sham-operated C57Bl/6j mice. In anosmic mice antidepressants decreased alcohol preference, but only amitryptyline also decreased alcohol consumption. All antidepressants decreased both alcohol consumption and preference in bulbectomized C57Bl/6j mice. In DBA/2j mice antidepressant treatment either increased, or did not alter alcohol consumption and preference in all groups, though the effects varied among individual antidepressants. The possible connection between the bulbectomy-induced behavioral syndrome and elevated ethanol consumption in C57Bl/6j mice is discussed.

Reducing substance abuse risk factors among children through a teacher as facilitator program

A Teachers as Facilitators (TAF) Program used classroom teachers as leaders of small groups that promoted social, emotional, and academic development of children at high risk of adopting potentially destructive substance abuse patterns. The program was intended to increase participating students' positive socialization experiences and academic achievement by successfully integrating these students into the school's social system. A longer-range goal was to increase students' sense of worth as it affects their attitudes toward relationships with other people and academic demands. Program results were: 1) school personnel were found capable of accurately identifying and referring to the TAF Program children who were at risk of substance usage and in need of assistance; 2) the TAF Program was effective in improving at-risk students' perceived academic self-concept, but was less effective in increasing students' perceived sense of social support; and 3) the program was endorsed by participating teachers, counselors, and administrators.

Aggression, alcohol dependency, and self-consciousness among high school students of divorced and nondivorced parents

134 high school students from a small high school in north central Kansas completed the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale, Fenigstein, et al.'s Self-consciousness Scale, and Zaks' Aggression Scale. Analyses of variance showed significant differences between boys and girls but not among grades. On the aggression and alcohol measures boys scored higher than girls, but lower on public self-consciousness. Youth of divorced parents scored significantly higher than those of nondivorced parents on aggression, private self-consciousness, and general self-consciousness. Aggression scores were significantly and positively correlated with those on the alcohol and private self-consciousness scales. When students' alcoholism scores indicate problems with alcohol, their scores on aggression indicate greater aggression and their private self-consciousness scores indicate sensitivity toward events in their environment, then having concerns about inner self can inhibit the action required for change. MacAndrew scores correlated significantly and negatively with scores on social anxiety about self-consciousness. When MacAndrew scores indicated problems with alcohol, the students' scores on social anxiety about self-consciousness suggested confidence in social settings, being at ease interacting with people. The present study involved students from a single rural district so increased understanding will require more extensive research if strategies for prevention and intervention are to be developed and utilized.

Depression, suicide ideation, and aggression among high school students whose parents are divorced and use alcohol at home

106 high school students from a small rural high school completed the Children of Alcoholics Scale, Zaks and Walters' Aggression Scale, Beck Depression Scale, and a modified version of the Beck Scale of Suicide Ideation. Analyses of variance showed boys were not experiencing suicide ideation any more than girls; suicide ideation was similar across the four grades, but on aggression alcohol-dependent boys scored significantly higher than girls, and in Grade 9 boys' scores were significantly higher than those in Grade 10. The sophomores' scores on alcohol dependency were significantly lower than the freshmen's scores. Boys and children from divorced homes had higher scores on aggression than girls and children from nondivorced homes. Children from homes in which alcohol was used had higher depression scores than children from nonalcoholic homes. Freshman girls and sophomore boys had higher depression scores than senior boys and girls. A Pearson r of 0.28 between scores on alcohol dependency and suicide ideation was significant, but research is needed to understand better the associations of thoughts of suicide and drug-alcohol dependency among these high school students so strategies for prevention and intervention can be focused.

Relationship between alcohol dependency and suicide ideation among high school students

126 high school students completed the MacAndrew Alcohol Scale and a modified version of the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Analyses of variance (2 x 4) showed boys were not experiencing suicide ideation any more than girls; suicide ideation was similar across the four grades, but on alcohol-dependency boys scored significantly higher than girls and scores for Grade 9 were significantly higher than those for Grade 10. The sophomores' scores on alcohol dependency were significantly lower than the freshmen's scores. One Pearson r of 0.28 between alcohol dependency and suicide ideation was significant but research must explore better the associations of thoughts of suicide and drug/alcohol dependency among high school students so strategies may focus upon prevention and intervention.