Effects of Self-Esteem and Academic Performance on Adolescent Decision-Making: An Examination of Early Sexual Intercourse and Illegal Substance Use

The current study sought "to determine whether higher self-esteem and higher academic performance among youths reduce the likelihood of early sexual intercourse and illegal substance use."

Multivariate logistic regression, stratified by gender and controlling for known covariates, was used to assess data from waves one through three of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Relationships were examined between self-esteem and academic performance and youth decision-making, in particular self-reported initiation of sexual intercourse and use of illegal substances. "Self-esteem was constructed as an ascending scale of 10 Likert-scaled survey items. Academic performance was assessed using the most recent grades from English, Math, Science, and History," wrote Wheeler.

Among virginal adolescents, higher self-esteem at baseline had no effect on sexual debut in the following year, though a baseline higher self-esteem among females did correspond with a significantly lower likelihood of illegal substance use one year later (odds ratio, .96; p=.003). In terms of academic performance at baseline, girls averaging "A" grades were significantly less likely to initiate sexual intercourse one year later as compared with girls receiving grades "C" or lower (OR, .52; p=.004). In addition, for girls, being an "A" or "B" student was associated with lower odds of illegal substance use, compared with students who averaged "C" grades or lower (p<.01). Self-esteem and academic performance were not significantly predictive of illegal substance use among young males.

"This study suggests that bolstering self-esteem and improving academic performance among young girls may have specific benefits in sexual decision-making and substance-related risk-taking," Wheeler concluded.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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