This study is an attempt at further specification of the relationship between social class and self-esteem. We argue that the effects of social class on self-esteem are largely experienced through occupational conditions which affect the self-evaluation dimensions of self-efficacy and self-worth. We examine these relationships, with the use of path analysis, for a sample of working men. The path model considers the direct and indirect effects of social class (socioeconomic status and education) on occupational conditions (work complexity; control over work; degree of supervision and routinization), on dimensions of self-evaluation (self-efficacy and self-worth), and on general self-esteem. We found the direct effect of our social class indicators on general self-esteem to be small and insignificant. But occupational prestige was significantly related to occupational conditions, which in turn were significantly related to self-worth and self-efficacy. Education had a direct effect on self-efficacy and self-esteem and an indirect effect on self-esteem via self-efficacy and job complexity. Of the two dimensions of self-evaluation, self-efficacy had a substantially stronger effect than self-worth on general self-esteem. These findings support our expectation that the effects of social class on self-esteem are largely mediated by occupational conditions which affect primarily the efficacy dimension of self-evaluation.
Drinking beliefs and behaviors were investigated in a survey of 2,700 Irish postprimary students. Overall, 47% of the students reported drinking within the month prior to the survey. Drinking was most frequent among older students and males. A regression analysis indicated that perceived peer drinking was the primary predictor of current alcohol use. Smoking and involvement with other problem behaviors were also important, and parental disapproval had a small effect. This pattern of results is similar to that found in other countries and provides evidence for the applicability of social learning and problem behavior theories to an understanding of adolescent drinking in another cultural context.
This study further specifies the relationship between injury, self-conceptions, and depression. With the use of path analysis, we look at the direct and indirect effects of pain and work limitation associated with a job-related injury on self-efficacy, self-esteem and depression for a sample of injured workers (N = 1,037). As expected, we found that self-efficacy and self-esteem are negatively associated with depression, while work limitation and pain are positively associated with depression. We also found that work limitation has additional indirect effects on depression through its effect on self-efficacy and self-esteem. Pain has an additional indirect effect on depression via its effect on self-efficacy and work limitation. These findings support our expectation that self-concept significantly mediates the relationship between physical injury and depression.
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