Factors influencing self-esteem and self-consciousness in adolescents with spina bifida

Purpose: To identify the demographic, personal, familial, attitudinal, and social factors that influence the self-esteem of adolescents with spina bifida. Methods: A structured face-to-face interview, that included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, was conducted with 107 adolescents with spina bifida. Discriminant analyses were performed to identify the factors that discriminate between adolescents with spina bifida who have low vs. high self-esteem and low vs. high self-consciousness. The discriminant functions included variables from the following domains: sociodemographics, personal biography, family interaction, peer relationships and activities, school and work experiences, attitudes toward spina bifida, sexuality and sexual education, and future aspirations. Results: The factors contributing most positively to adolescents' self-esteem were age-appropriate treatments by parents and parental permissiveness in social participation, as perceived by the adolescents. Factors negatively associated with self-esteem included school problems, a perception of disability by others, and living in a medium-sized town (i.e., population 10,000–49,999). The discriminant models correctly identified 57.8% of adolescents who had low self-esteem and 50.4% of those with high self-consciousness, and accurately classified 92.6% and 88.4% of those who had high self-esteem and low self-consciousness, respectively. Conclusions: Parents' relationships with their adolescents have important associations with the self-image of the youth.