Self-Esteem Affects Well-Being
You can help children improve their self-esteem
According to experts, these key points apply to self-esteem issues for children and adolescents:
- Self-esteem or feeling good about yourself is the primary force that enables "tweens" (8 to 12 years old) to resist involvement in behaviors that could be damaging to their health both now and in the future. (CDC, 2001)
- Depression affects as many as one in every 33 children and one in eight adolescents. (Federal Center for Mental Health Services, 1999)
- Self-esteem plays a central role in a child's motivation and achievements in school, athletics and social relationships, as well as resiliency. (P&G topline)
- The three key factors to influence a child's self-esteem are a sense of purpose, sense of accomplishment and a source of support. (CDC, 2001)
- By the middle years of childhood (ages 5-12), a child needs a positive sense of self to do well in the world outside the family. ("Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5-12" Bantam 1999)
- In tween years, peers emerge as critical influences and for some, unhealthy behaviors are passports to acceptance into elite groups. The stress and uncertainty of these years can trigger unhealthy habits and poor coping mechanisms (e.g. smoking, drinking, and violence) for resolving seemingly irresolvable problems. (Center for Disease Control, 2001)
Learn how you can improve
a child's self-esteem
