In plain language
Do teenagers with lower cognitive ability develop self-esteem differently from their peers? Much prior research on this vulnerable group relied on small, one-off snapshot studies, so little was known about how their self-esteem actually unfolds across the high school years. This study followed 138 Australian adolescents whose cognitive abilities fell in the lowest 15% and a matched comparison group of 556 adolescents with average-to-high cognitive ability, measuring self-esteem every year from Grade 7 to Grade 12.
The central finding is one of similarity, not difference: both groups showed high and stable self-esteem trajectories on average, and the factors that shaped self-esteem — gender, attitudes toward school, parenting style, and peer-group integration — worked in essentially the same way for both groups. This supports the disability rights movement’s message that young people with cognitive disability are more similar to their peers than different. There was, however, a substantial gender gap in both groups: boys started with higher self-esteem that stayed stable, while girls started lower and declined until mid-adolescence (around Grade 10) before recovering, never quite reaching the boys’ level.
The predictors point to practical levers. Disliking school was linked to lower self-esteem (whereas believing school is useful made little difference during these compulsory years), authoritative parenting by both mothers and fathers supported self-esteem while maternal authoritarian control undermined it, and feeling accepted by one’s peer group boosted self-esteem equally for both groups. For educators and families of young people with low cognitive ability, the message is to focus on school enjoyment, supportive autonomy-granting parenting, and peer belonging.
Key findings
- Adolescents with low cognitive ability (lowest 15%; n = 138) and matched peers with average-to-high ability (n = 556) showed similarly high and stable self-esteem trajectories across six annual waves (Grades 7–12).
- The relations between self-esteem and its key social predictors (gender, school usefulness and dislike, parenting, peer integration) generalized across both cognitive-ability groups.
- Substantial gender differences appeared in both groups: males reported higher, stable self-esteem, whereas females started lower and declined until mid-adolescence (Grade 10) before increasing again without reaching male levels.
- Higher school dislike predicted lower self-esteem, whereas perceived school usefulness showed no significant relation — preventing negative attitudes to school mattered more than promoting its perceived usefulness.
- Authoritative parenting by both mothers and fathers supported self-esteem development; a mother’s authoritarian style was negatively related to self-esteem, while a father’s authoritarian style showed no effect.
- Peer-group integration was positively related to self-esteem, and this was equally important for adolescents with low cognitive ability as for their peers.
How to cite
APA
Morin, A. J. S., Arens, A. K., Tracey, D., Parker, P. D., Ciarrochi, J., Craven, R. G., & Maïano, C. (2017). Self-esteem trajectories and their social determinants in adolescents with different levels of cognitive ability. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 122(6), 539–560. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-122.6.539
BibTeX
@article{morin2017selfesteem,
author = {Morin, Alexandre J. S. and Arens, A. Katrin and Tracey, Danielle and Parker, Philip D. and Ciarrochi, Joseph and Craven, Rhonda G. and Ma{\"i}ano, Christophe},
title = {Self-Esteem Trajectories and Their Social Determinants in Adolescents With Different Levels of Cognitive Ability},
journal = {American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities},
year = {2017},
volume = {122},
number = {6},
pages = {539--560},
doi = {10.1352/1944-7558-122.6.539}
}
Related work
- All publications by Joseph Ciarrochi (searchable, with free PDFs)
- Process-Based Therapy & Idionomic Analysis
Author: Joseph Ciarrochi (ORCID 0000-0003-0471-8100). Free copy hosted with permission for scholarly use. Please cite the published version via the DOI above.