Adolescents' problems and their relationship to self-esteem

The Mooney Problem Check List and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale were administered to 201 adolescents, ages 14 to 16 years. Sex differences in the number and nature of problems reported, and their relationship to self-esteem, were examined. Results indicated that, overall, girls reported significantly more problems and lower levels of self-esteem than did boys. Girls had more problems with interpersonal relationships, personal adjustment, health, and family issues. There were no significant differences between girls and boys in the areas of educational and vocational future. Surprisingly, neither boys nor girls were particularly concerned about their vocational/educational future. Relative to other areas, adjustment to schoolwork was identified as being of considerable concern for both sexes. There was a significant relationship between self-esteem and reported problems, and different problem areas were related to self-esteem for girls and boys. The findings of this study support previous research and provide further information concerning relationships between self-esteem and problems.