Self-esteem, social support, and positive health practices

Area of Science:

• Health Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Positive health practices are crucial for adult well-being.
• Social support and self-esteem are recognized psychological factors influencing health behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interrelationships between perceived social support, self-esteem, and positive health practices.
• To examine the direct and indirect effects of social support and self-esteem on health practices in adults.

Main Methods:

• Convenience sampling of 98 adults from a metropolitan apartment complex.
• Utilized three self-report questionnaires: Personal Resource Questionnaire, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, and Personal Life-style Activities Questionnaire.
• Employed correlation matrix and path analysis to model variable relationships.

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was found among social support, self-esteem, and health practices.
• The causal model explained 28% of the variance in health practices (p < .0001).
• Social support directly and indirectly influenced health practices, with a notable indirect effect mediated through self-esteem.

Conclusions:

• Both perceived social support and self-esteem are significant positive predictors of health practices.
• Social support positively impacts health practices by enhancing self-esteem.
• Interventions aimed at improving health practices may benefit from addressing social support and self-esteem.