Negative Life Events and Internalizing Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence

Previous studies have suggested that exposure to frequent negative life events is associated with youth’s maladjustment. Early adolescents living in socially disorganized neighborhoods experience frequent stressors such as limited access to resources, lack of safety, and are at increased risk of experiencing negative life events (NLE). Such exposure to NLEs has been linked to externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Although the impact of NLEs can lead to poor psychological outcomes, closely linked self-concept factors such as self-esteem have been suggested to influence the development of internalizing behaviors. Self-esteem influences the individual’s response to the environment, and interactions with others with implications for the onset and maintenance of psychological disorders. Using a structural equation modeling approach, self-esteem was examined as a moderator of the relationship between reported negative life events and internalizing behaviors for a sample of 603 adolescents living in socially disorganized neighborhoods. Results indicated that these early adolescents reporting higher levels of self-esteem also reported lower internalizing behaviors. However, contrary to the prediction, self-esteem did not moderate the link between reported negative life events and adolescents’ internalizing behaviors.