Self-esteem and Symptoms of Mental Disorder in the Adolescence: Associated Variables

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between symptoms of mental disorders and self-esteem of adolescents, as also their association with sex, age and family configuration. Participants were 359 adolescents aged 13 to 19 years (M=15.77, SD=1.40), students from public schools. The instruments were the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Descriptive analyzes, Spearman correlation test, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed. The results indicated a lower average in the symptoms of mental disorder among the boys, but no differences were observed by sex, age or family configuration regarding self-esteem. There was a significant negative correlation between symptoms of mental disorders and self-esteem, confirming the relationships between these variables. Limitations and suggestions for further studies are discussed.