Abstract
The purpose of this research was to assess age- and race-based variation in within-persons changes in self-esteem over a 16-year period. We used hierarchical linear modeling with data from 3,617 adults 25 years of age and older who were interviewed up to 4 times. Self-esteem increased, on average, over the course of the study period. At the same time, significant age variations around this trend were observed, with younger adults experiencing increases in self-esteem and older adults experiencing decreases. In general, race differences were not evident with respect to average levels or rates of change in self-esteem. However, a significant Age × Race interaction suggested that late-life declines in self-esteem were steeper for Blacks compared with Whites. These findings suggest the presence of age- and race-based stratification with respect to self-esteem. Future work in this area should examine the health and well-being effects of declining self-esteem during old age.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 84-94 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Psychology and aging |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 03 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Age differences
- Race differences
- Self-esteem trajectories