Self-Esteem and Social Appearance Anxiety: An Investigation of Secondary School Students.

Abstract

In a previous study published in Elementary Education Online, Dogan(2011) examined the psychometric properties of the social appearance anxiety scale in an adolescent sample after his first adaptation study on undergraduate students in Turkey (Dogan, 2010). He recommended that researchers do further research to investigate the relationships between social appearance anxiety, communication skills, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem, but researchers generally disregarded his advice. Following Dogan's (2011) recommendation, this study reports on the association between selfesteem and social appearance anxiety in secondary school students. A total of 2222 (1133 female and 1089 male) adolescents aged 11-15 years were selected from Merzifon City, in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. Participants’ mean age was 12.76, with a standard deviation of .96. Self-reporting measures consisting of a Personel Information Form, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale were administered to students under the supervision of teachers. Data were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Analyses. Results indicated that there was a significant negative relationship between self-esteem and social appearance anxiety for each gender. These findings suggest that adolescents with low-self-esteem may exhibit higher levels of social appearance anxiety or vice versa. The implications of these findings, especially for guidance and counseling services in Turkey, and potential applications for guidance counselors and researchers are also discussed.