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Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças

Print version ISSN 1645-0086

Abstract

ANTUNES, C. et al. Self-esteem, health perceptions and risk behaviours during adolescence: differential effects from 7th to 10th grade. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2006, vol.7, n.1, pp.117-123. ISSN 1645-0086.

Self-esteem is an important construct, related to adolescents’ healthy development and psychological and social adjustment. The aims of this study were: (a) to observe gender differences in self-esteem from 12 to 16 years old; (b) to observe the effects of unhealthy behaviours, such as to smoke and to drink on self-esteem and (c) to observe the effect of the perceptions of general health and learning difficulties on self-esteem. The participants were 645 students attending 7th to 10th grade in a high school of a North-East city from Portugal. The results revealed that girls had significant lower self-esteem than boys but only after 14 years old, when the average values of self-esteem fall down. No differences were found in self-esteem due to alcohol or smoke habits. Participants attending 10th grade who revealed to have health problems showed lower self-esteem and those who revealed to have learning difficulties also showed lower self-esteem, independently of grade level?

Keywords : Adolescence; Health perception; Learning difficulties; Self-esteem.

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