The influence of self-esteem and (cyber) bullying on adolescents’ well-being: a question of gender?

Abstract

Subjective well-being consists of a subjective component (life satisfaction) and an affective component (positive and negative affect). Levels of well-being tend to decline during adolescence, which could have physical and mental health consequences. Multiple factors influence adolescent well-being, such as self-esteem, bullying and cyberbullying, as well as gender. In this paper, we study the relationship between self-esteem, bullying (face-to-face and virtual) and the affective dimension of subjective well-being in adolescence, considering the moderating effect of gender. 797 Spanish adolescents between 14 and 18 years old (54.2% girls; Mage=15.5; SD=.68) participated in the study. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), the Positive and Negative Experience Scale (SPANE), and Cyberbullying and Peer Bullying Screening were used. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 24.0, and EQS 6.4 packages. T-test, bivariate correlations and structural equations (SEM) were performed. The results suggest that girls have lower levels of self-esteem (t = 4.10; p < .001) and well-being (t = 2.46; p < .05) than boys, while boys more often report being bullies (t = 2.67; p < .01) and cyberbullies (t = 2.55; p = .01), as well as victims of bullying (t = 2.16; p < .05). The variables that influence adolescents’ affective well-being are self-esteem and bullying victimization. Gender moderates the influence of self-esteem on well-being. For boys, a negative assessment of themselves impacts their negative affection more strongly than girls [χ²(df)= 15.69(3); p < .001]. These results highlight the need to develop effective prevention and intervention programs to promote the well-being of adolescents, taking gender differences into account. Keywords: well-being; self-esteem; bullying; cyberbullying; adolescence; gender.