Development of self-esteem from age 4 to 94 years

A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4421745
AutoresUli Orth (0000-0002-4795-515X), Ruth Yasemin Erol, Eva C Luciano
Ano2018
Volume144
Fascículo10
Páginas1045-1080
Data de publicação2018-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPsychological Bulletin (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0033-2909 • E-ISSN: 1939-1455
EditoraAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/bul0000161
PMID30010349
OpenAlexW2883432817
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas123
Referências citadas2

To investigate the normative trajectory of self-esteem across the life span, this meta-analysis synthesizes the available longitudinal data on mean-level change in self-esteem. The analyses were based on 331 independent samples, including data from 164,868 participants. As effect size measure, we used the standardized mean change d per year. The mean age associated with the effect sizes ranged from 4 to 94 years. Results showed that average levels of self-esteem increased from age 4 to 11 years (cumulative d = 0.34; cumulative ds are relative to age 4), remained stable from age 11 to 15, increased strongly until age 30 (cumulative d = 1.05), continued to increase until age 60 (cumulative d = 1.30), peaked at age 60 and remained constant until age 70, declined slightly until age 90 (cumulative d = 1.15), and declined more strongly until age 94 (cumulative d = 0.76). Moderator analyses were conducted for the full set of samples and for the subset of samples between ages 10 to 20 years. Although the measure of self-esteem accounted for differences in effect sizes, the moderator analyses suggested that the pattern of mean-level change held across gender, country, ethnicity, sample type, and birth cohort. The meta-analytic findings clarify previously unresolved issues about the nature and magnitude of self-esteem change in specific developmental periods (i.e., childhood, adolescence, and old age) and draw a much more precise picture of the life span trajectory of self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record

Developmental psychology · Meta-analysis · Moderation · PsycINFO · Self-esteem · Young adult · Cognitive Abilities and Testing · Medicine · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Demography · Social Psychology