Effects of economic hardship on adolescent self-esteem: a family mediation model.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between economic hardship, family relationships, and adolescent self-esteem in a sample of 387 midwestern families. The results of LISREL analyses showed that economic hardship had an adverse effect on adolescent self-esteem, and that this effect was primarily mediated through the parent-adolescent relationship. The data also indicated that the marital relationship was negatively affected by economic hardship, but there was no direct relationship between parents' marital relationship and adolescents' self-esteem. The findings of this study are consistent with the theory that economic hardship reduces affective parental support and may thus convey a negative appraisal of the adolescent thereby lowering his or her self-esteem.