Modification of the Rosenberg Scale to Assess Self-Esteem in Children

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Psychometric Validation
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is a standard measure for adults and adolescents.
• RSES lacks validation for children under 12 years.
• Assessing self-esteem in younger children is crucial for developmental understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a modified Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (CRSES) for children aged 7-12.
• To assess the internal consistency, convergent validity, and factor structure of the CRSES.
• To examine age and sex differences in self-esteem among schoolchildren.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the CRSES factor structure in 711 children (aged 9.0 ± 1.5 years).
• Convergent validity was tested using correlations with a life satisfaction scale in a subset of 417 children.
• Factorial invariance by sex and ANOVA were used to compare self-esteem scores across age groups and sexes.

Main Results:

• The CRSES demonstrated good model fit and acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.79).
• The scale was factorially invariant across sexes.
• Self-esteem scores were significantly lower in older children (9-10 and 11-12 years) compared to younger children (7-8 years), with no significant sex differences.
• Self-esteem positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.51).

Conclusions:

• The modified CRSES is a reliable tool for assessing global self-esteem in children aged 7-12 years.
• This validated scale allows for tracking self-esteem development across a wider age range.
• Findings highlight age-related changes in self-esteem during childhood.