Title |
Low self-esteem and psychiatric patients: Part I – The relationship between low self-esteem and psychiatric diagnosis
|
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Published in |
Annals of General Psychiatry, February 2003
|
DOI | 10.1186/1475-2832-2-2 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Peter H Silverstone, Mahnaz Salsali |
Abstract |
BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence and the degree of lowered self-esteem across the spectrum of psychiatric disorders. METHOD: The present study was carried out on a consecutive sample of 1,190 individuals attending an open-access psychiatric outpatient clinic. There were 957 psychiatric patients, 182 cases with conditions not attributable to a mental disorder, and 51 control subjects. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM III-R diagnostic criteria following detailed assessments. At screening, individuals completed two questionnaires to measure self-esteem, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and the Janis and Field Social Adequacy scale. Statistical analyses were performed on the scores of the two self-esteem scales. RESULTS: The results of the present study demonstrate that all psychiatric patients suffer some degree of lowered self-esteem. Furthermore, the degree to which self-esteem was lowered differed among various diagnostic groups. Self-esteem was lowest in patients with major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Also, there is evidence of cumulative effects of psychiatric disorders on self-esteem. Patients who had comorbid diagnoses, particularly when one of the diagnoses was depressive disorders, tended to show lower self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: Based on both the previous literature, and the results from the current study, we propose that there is a vicious cycle between low self-esteem and onset of psychiatric disorders. Thus, low self-esteem increases the susceptibility for development of psychiatric disorders, and the presence of a psychiatric disorder, in turn, lowers self-esteem. Our findings suggest that this effect is more pronounced with certain psychiatric disorders, such as major depression and eating disorders. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Malaysia | 1 | <1% |
Argentina | 1 | <1% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 224 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 42 | 18% |
Student > Bachelor | 33 | 14% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 22 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 19 | 8% |
Researcher | 13 | 6% |
Other | 35 | 15% |
Unknown | 64 | 28% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 88 | 39% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 27 | 12% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 15 | 7% |
Social Sciences | 11 | 5% |
Neuroscience | 6 | 3% |
Other | 12 | 5% |
Unknown | 69 | 30% |