Self-Evaluation of Developmental Characteristics by Early Adolescents With Chronic Illnesses: A Cross-Sectional Study

The present cross-sectional survey research examined self-evaluations of developmental characteristics by early adolescents with chronic illnesses. The participants, students with chronic illnesses (11 to 14 years old, 5th graders to 10th graders from 135 schools) and students at the same grade levels without chronic illnesses completed the Japanese version of Harter’s (1985) Self-Perception Profıle for Children. The scale scores of the students with chronic illnesses were compared to those of the students without chronic illnesses. The results indicated that the students with chronic illnesses had lower scholastic competence, friendship, and behavioral conduct scores, and lower overall importance rating scores than the comparison students did. The behavioral conduct and physical appearance scores in the importance ratings of the junior high school students with chronic illnesses were lower than those of the comparison junior high school students. Furthermore, the junior high school students with chronic illnesses had lower self-esteem scores than did the elementary school students with chronic illnesses. The results also indicated that the junior high school students with chronic illnesses had lower self-esteem scores than the students at the same grade level who did not have chronic illnesses. A signifıcant correlation was found in the scores of the students with chronic illnesses between self-esteem and competence in unimportant domains. However, in the scores of the students who did not have chronic illnesses, no signifıcant correlation was found on these variables. These results suggest that teachers and parents should pay attention to the self-evaluations of early adolescents with chronic illnesses and promote success experiences, because such experiences can be an important source of self-esteem. In addition, psychoeducational intervention programs should be offered to early adolescents with chronic illnesses in order to prevent these students from developing reduced self-esteem.