The trajectory of self-esteem and its predictive factors in later life: The role of health

A reliable self-esteem trajectory can be obtained by examining the average of within-person changes in self-esteem rather than by simply examining the correlations between age and self-esteem or by comparing means of self-esteem between two different age groups. This study examines the trajectory of self-esteem (SE) and its predictive socio-demographic and health variables, with a specific focus on chronic health conditions (CHC) and functional health (FH). The sample consisting of 1179 at W1, 878 at W2, and 683 at W3 elders aged 65 and over, participated in the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) longitudinal study. Analyses were done through a multilevel modeling using the MIXREG software. Participants showed decreasing SE. The old-old, blacks, elders with lower education presented a faster decrease in SE than their counterparts. Individuals with fewer CHC or better FH presented better SE at Wave one. Individuals who experienced increasing CHC or decreasing FH presented decreasing SE over time. The findings imply that health is influential to SE in later life and that interventions targeting health would be helpful for elders in maintaining their SE.