The role of explicit and implicit self-esteem in the relationship between childhood trauma and adult depression and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Self-esteem is an important psychological concept that can be measured explicitly (reflective processing) and implicitly (associative processing). The current study examined 1) the association between childhood trauma (CT) and both explicit and implicit self-esteem, and 2) whether self-esteem mediated the association between CT and depression/anxiety. METHODS: In 1479 adult participants of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, CT was assessed with a semi-structured interview, depression/anxiety symptoms with self-report questionnaires and explicit and implicit self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Implicit Association Test, respectively. ANOVAs and regression analyses determined the association between CT (no/mild/severe CT), its subtypes (abuse/neglect) and self-esteem. Finally, we examined whether self-esteem mediated the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety. RESULTS: Participants with CT reported lower explicit (but not lower implicit) self-esteem compared to those without CT (p < .001, partial η2 = 0.06). All CT types were associated with lower explicit self-esteem (p = .05 for sexual abuse, p < .001 for other CT types), while only emotional neglect significantly associated with lower implicit self-esteem after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics (p = .03). Explicit self-esteem mediated the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety symptoms (proportion mediated = 48-77 %). LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design precludes from drawing firm conclusions about the direction of the proposed relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the relationship between CT and depression/anxiety symptoms can at least partly be explained by explicit self-esteem. This is of clinical relevance as it points to explicit self-esteem as a potential relevant treatment target for people with CT.

Explicit and implicit self-esteem in youth with autism spectrum disorders.

LAY ABSTRACT: Having a stable and good self-esteem is important for maintaining a good mental health. However, having low self-esteem is a risk factor for developing depressive, anxious, or uncooperative/aggressive symptoms. While many individuals with an autism spectrum disorder have these symptoms, there is a lack of studies on self-esteem in this group. We studied self-esteem of youth with autism spectrum disorder and the connection to their co-occurring symptoms. To do this, different self-esteem profiles were investigated, including explicit self-esteem (how someone says their self-esteem is after reflecting on it), implicit self-esteem (how someone's self-esteem is on a task that does not give them time to reflect on it), and the difference between both (high explicit with low implicit self-esteem or low explicit with high implicit self-esteem). Our results show that youth with autism spectrum disorder report lower self-esteem than youth without autism spectrum disorder when they have reflected on it (explicit self-esteem). And parents of children with autism spectrum disorder report that their children have even lower self-esteem. Implicit self-esteem was the same for youth with and without autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, we found that within youth with autism spectrum disorder, there was a negative relationship between explicit self-esteem and depressive symptoms, and between implicit self-esteem and externalizing behavior. Taken together, youth with autism spectrum disorder are at risk for developing low self-esteem and when they do they have a higher risk of developing co-occurring problems. Therefore we stress that it is important to measure and improve the self-esteem of youth with autism spectrum disorder, so they develop less co-occurring problems and have a higher quality of life.

Early implicit-explicit discrepancies in self-esteem as correlates of childhood depressive symptoms.

This longitudinal study examined early social-cognitive markers that might be associated with the emergence of childhood depression and anxiety. At 5 years of age, 137 children completed an implicit self-esteem measure. At 9 years of age, the same children completed measures of implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Two novel findings emerged. First, higher implicit self-esteem at age 5 than explicit self-esteem at age 9 (implicit > explicit discrepancy) was associated with depressive symptoms at age 9, but not with symptoms of anxiety. Second, this cross-age implicit > explicit discrepancy was associated with depressive symptoms more strongly than was the same implicit > explicit discrepancy measured concurrently at age 9. The overall pattern suggests that the appearance of depressive symptoms in children is associated with discrepancies between implicit and explicit self-esteem and not just lower levels of implicit self-esteem or lower levels of explicit self-esteem taken alone. It is the direction and discrepancy across time that is particularly informative, such that discrepancies between early implicit representations and later explicit reports of self-worth reflect a developmental pathway associated with elevated risk for depressive symptoms. Taken altogether, this study illustrates the benefits of combining work in developmental, child-clinical, and social psychology to provide a more complete view of the developing child. We believe that combining implicit and explicit measures of self-esteem across developmental time points can be used to examine early markers of depression in children at younger ages than typically possible with explicit measures alone.

The relationship between explicit self-esteem and subjective well-being: The moderating effect of implicit self-esteem.

Explicit self-esteem (ESE) is an important factor influencing subject well-being (SWB). However, the relationship between ESE and SWB is not clear. Due to the complex nature of self-esteem, implicit self-esteem (ISE) might moderate the relationship between ESE and SWB. Furthermore, providing the consistency between ISE and ESE, the interacting effect of ISE and ESE would only be significant for the cognitive component of SWB rather than the emotional component. To examine these assumptions, the present study recruited a total of 134 undergraduate students and measured their ISE, ESE, and SWB using Implicit Association Test (IAT) and self-report measures. The results showed that (a) ESE, rather than ISE, was significantly correlated to SWB; and (b) the interaction between ISE and ESE could significantly predict the cognitive components of SWB rather than the emotional components. Those findings contribute to the further understanding of the relationship between self-esteem and SWB.

Discrepancies of Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem as Predictors of Attributional Bias and Paranoia.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to examine the association of implicit self-esteem, explicit self-esteem and their interaction with paranoia and attributional bias. The relationship of the size and the direction of the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem with paranoia and attributional bias was examined. METHODS: A total of 128 female college students participated. We administered the Implicit Association Test to assess implicit self-esteem, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to measure explicit self-esteem. Paranoia Scale was used, and the attributional bias was assessed using the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire. RESULTS: Results showed that explicit but not implicit self-esteem was negatively associated with paranoia, blame bias and hostility perception bias in ambiguous situations. The interaction of implicit and explicit self-esteem was associated with hostility perception in ambiguous situations. As for the discrepancy, the size of the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem was positively associated with hostility perception in ambiguous situations. Moreover, the direction of the discrepancy was specifically relevant: damaged self-esteem (high implicit and low explicit self-esteem) was associated with increased levels of paranoia, blame bias and hostility perception in ambiguous situations. CONCLUSION: These findings provide new insights into the role of the implicit and explicit self-esteem in attributional bias and paranoia and point to damaged self-esteem as a possible vulnerability marker for illogical attribution of blaming others and perceiving hostility in social situations.

Symptoms of depression and the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While the role of explicit self-esteem (ESE) in depression has been well established, the relationship between implicit self-esteem (ISE) and depression is more uncertain. Recently, it has been suggested that a simultaneous consideration of both ESE and ISE may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the development and maintenance of depression than considering either ESE or ISE in isolation. The present paper tested whether the absolute discrepancy between ESE and ISE and the direction of the discrepancy are important factors to consider in relation to depressive symptoms. METHODS: 87 university students from the northeastern U.S. were recruited for the present study. The Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Implicit Association Test were used to assess participants' severity of depressive symptoms, explicit self-esteem, and implicit self-esteem, respectively. RESULTS: Results revealed a negative association between ESE and symptoms of depression. In addition, a positive relationship was found between the degree of discrepancy between ISE and ESE and depression. However, this relationship was only found among participants with higher ISE than ESE (i.e., damaged self-esteem), but not among participants with higher ESE than ISE (i.e., defensive or fragile self-esteem). CONCLUSIONS: While damaged self-esteem may be a meaningful marker of depressive symptoms, it should be noted that the association between symptoms of depression and the interaction of ISE and ESE may be driven primarily by the strong link between ESE and depression. As prior studies of ESE and ISE have not looked, specifically, at the relative contributions of both constructs, this issue needs further investigation in future research.

Does Inside Equal Outside? Relations Between Older Adults' Implicit and Explicit Aging Attitudes and Self-Esteem.

Attitudes toward one's own aging and self-esteem are crucial variables in predicting older adults' physical and mental health and can significantly affect their will to live, cognitive judgement and acceptance of medical treatment. However, little is known about the relation between the implicit attitude toward one's own aging and implicit self-esteem. This research explored consistencies between implicit and explicit attitudes toward one's own aging and between implicit and explicit self-esteem and explored their relations in 70 older adults aged 60-91 years old using the word and picture versions of the Implicit Association Test and standardized scales. The results showed that (a) the explicit and implicit attitudes toward one's own aging represented independent structures, and the implicit and explicit self-esteem also represented independent structures; (b) subjects generally showed positive explicit attitudes toward their own aging and negative implicit attitudes toward their own aging while also showing high explicit self-esteem and relatively low implicit self-esteem; (c) subjects' implicit attitudes toward their own aging and implicit self-esteem were positively correlated, and explicit attitudes toward their own aging and explicit self-esteem were also positively correlated. The more positive the subjects' explicit attitudes toward their own aging, the higher their explicit self-esteem levels were. The more negative their implicit attitudes toward their own aging, the higher their implicit self-esteem levels were. We concluded that older adults' explicit and implicit attitudes toward their own aging and self-esteem are independent structures; older adults' explicit and implicit attitudes toward their own aging have predictive effects on their explicit and implicit self-esteem in different directions, respectively.

Implicit and explicit self-esteem in remitted depressed patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low self-esteem is a symptom of depression and depression vulnerability. Prior research on self-esteem has largely focused on implicit (ISE) and explicit self-esteem (ESE) as two separate constructs, missing their interaction. Therefore, the current study investigated the interaction between ISE and ESE in a depression-vulnerable group (remitted depressed patients; RDs), compared to never-depressed controls (ND). METHODS: Seventy-five RDs and 75 NDs participated in the study. To measure ESE, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was used. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Name Letter Preference Task (NLPT) were used to assess ISE. RESULTS: RDs reported lower ESE than NDs. However, the two groups did not differ on ISE. RDs exhibited a damaged self-esteem or a low-congruent self-esteem, similar to what has been found in currently depressed patients. Moreover, damaged self-esteem was associated with residual depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: The results need to be interpreted with care because the IAT and NLPT did not reveal the same associations with the clinical measures. CONCLUSIONS: Implicit and explicit self-esteem may be different constructs in depression and studying the combination is important. The present study provides evidence indicating that damaged self-esteem may be more detrimental than low congruent self-esteem.

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View.

Objective: Whilst the relationship between narcissism and self-esteem has been studied for a long time, findings are still controversial. The majority of studies investigated narcissistic grandiosity (NG), neglecting the existence of vulnerable manifestations of narcissism. Moreover, recent studies have shown that grandiosity traits are not always associated with inflated explicit self-esteem. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, distinguishing between grandiosity and vulnerability. Moreover, we consider the role of implicit self-esteem in qualifying these associations. Method: Narcissistic traits, explicit and implicit self-esteem measures were assessed among 120 university students (55.8% women, Mage = 22.55, SD = 3.03). Results: Results showed different patterns of association between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, depending on phenotypic manifestations of narcissism. Narcissistic vulnerability (NV) was linked to low explicit self-evaluations regardless of one's levels of implicit self-esteem. On the other hand, the link between NG and explicit self-esteem was qualified by levels of implicit self-views, such that grandiosity was significantly associated with inflated explicit self-evaluations only at either high or medium levels of implicit self-views. Discussion: These findings showed that the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem is not univocal, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between NG and NV. Finally, the study suggested that both researchers and clinicians should consider the relevant role of implicit self-views in conditioning self-esteem levels reported explicitly by individuals with grandiose narcissistic traits.

Self-imagery in individuals with high body dissatisfaction: the effect of positive and negative self-imagery on aspects of the self-concept.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive behavioural models of eating disorders highlight low self-esteem as a maintaining factor. This study explored the impact of positive and negative self-imagery on aspects of the working self (implicit and explicit self-esteem and self-concept clarity) in individuals with high body dissatisfaction (an important aspect of eating disorders). The impact of these images on state body satisfaction and affect was also explored. METHOD: A group of participants with high body dissatisfaction completed measures of explicit self-esteem, self-concept clarity, state body satisfaction and affect prior to completing a negative (n = 33) or positive (n = 33) self-imagery retrieval task. Following this they completed the baseline measures and a measure of implicit self-esteem. RESULTS: Holding a negative self-image in mind had a negative effect on explicit self-esteem, whilst holding a positive self-image had a beneficial effect. There were no effects of imagery on implicit self-esteem. Holding a negative image in mind led to a significant reduction in self-concept clarity; however, positive self-imagery did not affect self-concept clarity. Holding a negative self-image in mind led to a decrease in body satisfaction and state affect. The opposite was found for the positive self-imagery group. LIMITATIONS: Implicit self-esteem was not measured at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Imagery techniques which promote positive self-images may help improve aspects of the working self, body satisfaction and affect in individuals with high levels of body dissatisfaction. As such, these imagery techniques warrant further investigation in a clinical population.

Implicit cognitive processes in binge-eating disorder and obesity.

OBJECTIVES: Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes, associated eating disorder and general psychopathology, and commonly occurs in obese individuals. Explicit self-esteem and explicit weight bias have been linked to BED, while little is known about implicit cognitive processes such as implicit self-esteem and implicit weight bias. METHODS: Obese participants with BED and an individually matched obese only group (OB) and normal weight control group (CG; each N = 26) were recruited from the community to examine group differences and associations in explicit and implicit self-esteem and weight bias, as well as the impact of implicit cognitive processes on global eating disorder psychopathology. Implicit cognitive processes were assessed using the Implicit Association Test. RESULTS: Significantly lower explicit self-esteem, as well as higher exposure to explicit weight bias, compared to CG and OB was found in the BED group. All groups showed positive implicit self-esteem, however, it was significantly lower in BED when compared to CG. BED and CG demonstrated equally high implicit weight bias whereas OB did not. Explicit and implicit measures were not significantly correlated. Global eating disorder psychopathology was predicted by explicit and implicit self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study add to the importance of implicit self-esteem and implicit weight bias beyond explicit measures in BED, while both were previously shown to be associated with onset and maintenance of BED. In conclusion, implicit cognitive processes should be focused on in interventions for BED to investigate their impact on psychological treatments.

Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem and their relationship to symptoms of depression and mania.

OBJECTIVES: Self-esteem is a key feature of bipolar symptomatology. However, so far no study has examined the interaction between explicit and implicit self-esteem in individuals vulnerable to bipolar disorder. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design was employed. METHODS: Thirty children of parents with bipolar disorder and 30 offspring of control parents completed Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Bech-Rafaelson Mania Scale, the Self-esteem Rating Scale and the Implicit Association Test. RESULTS: No differences between groups were revealed in levels of explicit or implicit self-esteem. However, bipolar offspring showed increased levels of symptoms of depression and mania. Furthermore, depressive symptoms were associated with low explicit self-esteem, whilst symptoms of mania were associated with low implicit self-esteem. When self-esteem discrepancies were examined, damaged self-esteem (i.e., low explicit but high implicit self-esteem) was associated with depression, whilst no associations between mania and self-esteem discrepancies were found. CONCLUSIONS: Not only explicit, but also implicit self-esteem, and the interactions between the two are of relevance in bipolar symptoms. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Explicit as well as implicit SE, and particularly their relationship, are relevant for mental health. Fluctuations in implicit SE may serve as an early indicator for risk of bipolarity. Psychotherapeutic approaches may be more suitable for one kind of SE challenge than the other.