The association between stress and emotional states in adolescents: The role of gender and self-esteem

This cross-sectional study investigated gender differences on domains of stress, self-esteem and emotional states (depression and anxiety) as well as the association between stress, self-esteem and emotional states using a sample of Norwegian adolescents (N = 1508). The results showed that girls had significantly higher mean scores on all stress domains and on emotional states compared with boys. Conversely, boys scored significantly higher on self-esteem. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed a significant association between increasing stress related to peer pressure, home life, school performance and adult responsibility and higher levels of emotional states. Moreover, the associations between stress and emotional states were not moderated by gender. A strong, inverse association was found between self-esteem and emotional states. A weak moderation effect of self-esteem was found on the association between stress related to peer pressure, romantic relationships, school performance and emotional states. The identification of the potential protective role of self-esteem in relation to adolescents’ emotional outcomes represents an important step toward developing preventive interventions for children and adolescents.