Cerebellum and self-esteem in children and adolescents: the moderating effect of depression

Self-esteem, a critical determinant of psychological well-being, develops concurrently with brain maturation during childhood and adolescence. Emerging evidence has identified the involvement of the cerebellum in self-related processing and its structural links to self-esteem. Depression, highly prevalent in this developmental period, affects both self-esteem and cerebellar functions, but their interaction remains understudied in pediatric populations.

A community sample of 103 children and adolescents (mean age = 12.23 years) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the cerebellar gray matter volume (GMV) using voxel-based morphometry. Self-esteem and depressive symptoms were measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Children's Depression Inventory. Moderation analyses examined how depression influences the relationship between cerebellar GMV and self-esteem.

Moderation analyses revealed different cerebellar GMV-self-esteem relationships across cerebellar regions, with depression altering the strength and direction of these associations. In most regions, including crus I and II; lobules VI, VIIb, VIII, IX, and X; and vermis regions VIII and IX, GMV was positively associated with self-esteem at low depression levels, but this relationship weakened or became nonsignificant as depression severity increased. Conversely, left lobule III and vermis regions I-III exhibited the inverse pattern, with GMV being negatively associated with self-esteem at low depression levels.

These distinct relationship patterns underscore the multifaceted role of the cerebellum in self-esteem during critical developmental periods, and depression moderates its functional contribution. Given the neuroplasticity of the brain during childhood and adolescence, understanding these neural‒psychological interactions opens new avenues for promoting well-being in pediatric populations.