Longitudinal trajectories of self-esteem, related predictors, and impact on depression among students over a four-year period at college in China

Xinqiao Liu (), Yilin Yuan, Wenjuan Gao and Yunfeng Luo ()
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Xinqiao Liu: Tianjin University
Yilin Yuan: Tianjin University
Wenjuan Gao: Beihang University
Yunfeng Luo: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Palgrave Communications, 2024, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Self-esteem plays a crucial role in the psychological development of college students. Based on four-wave longitudinal data, this study empirically investigated the longitudinal trajectories of self-esteem, related predictors, and the impact on depression in a sample of Chinese college students. Piecewise growth mixture modeling was utilized to identify potential self-esteem trajectories. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression models were employed along with the Kruskal‒Wallis test to analyze the factors that influence self-esteem development trajectories and assess variations in depression. The results showed that college students’ self-esteem trajectories can be divided into three categories: slowly decreasing (81.04%), rising then falling (16.94%), and falling then rising (2.02%). Various personal factors (e.g. ethnicity, family residence, self-reported health status, extroversion) and socioeconomic factors (e.g. closeness with classmates, family economic level, family social status, and the mother’s educational level) can influence the classification of students’ self-esteem development trajectories. Moreover, notable differences in depression were observed among students in different self-esteem trajectory groups. The results emphasize the imperative of implementing interventions to enhance self-esteem among college students.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03136-9

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