The impact of hope, self-esteem, and attributional style on adolescents' school grades and emotional well-being: A longitudinal study

Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C L Heaven, Fiona Davies

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

252 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We examined the distinctiveness of three "positive thinking" variables (self-esteem, trait hope, and positive attributional style) in predicting future high school grades, teacher-rated adjustment, and students' reports of their affective states. Seven hundred eighty-four high school students (382 males and 394 females; 8 did not indicate their gender) completed Time I measures of verbal and numerical ability, positive thinking, and indices of emotional well-being (positive affect, sadness, fear, and hostility), and Time 2 measures of hope, self-esteem, and emotional well-being. Multi-level random coefficient modelling revealed that each positive thinking variable was distinctive in some contexts but not others. Hope was a predictor of positive affect and the best predictor of grades, negative attributional style was the best predictor of increases in hostility and fear, and low self-esteem was the best predictor of increases in sadness. We also found that sadness at Time I predicted decreases in self-esteem at Time 2. The results are discussed with reference to the importance of positive thinking for building resilience. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1161-1178
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Research in Personality
Volume41
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • hope
  • self-esteem
  • attributional style
  • school grades
  • adjustment
  • achievement
  • positive affect
  • negative affect
  • sadness
  • hostility
  • anxiety
  • ACHIEVEMENT
  • DEPRESSION
  • PERSONALITY
  • VALIDATION
  • PREDICTORS
  • ADJUSTMENT
  • RISK
  • DELINQUENCY
  • PERFORMANCE
  • EXPERIENCES

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