Self-Esteem Questionnaire

Abstract

The Self-Esteem Questionnaire (SEQ) is a psychological instrument developed to assess self-esteem across multiple domains relevant to the lives of children and early adolescents. Unlike scales focusing solely on global self-worth, the SEQ employs a multi-dimensional, developmental-ecological framework, recognizing that feelings of competence and worth are context-dependent. The scale comprises 42 items distributed across six specific domains: Peers, School, Family, Sports/Athletics, Body Image, and a measure of Global Self-Esteem. Responses are typically captured using a 4-point Likert Scale format, allowing researchers and clinicians to identify specific areas where an individual experiences high or low self-regard. The SEQ is frequently utilized in community psychology and developmental research to understand the relationship between socio-environmental experiences and adolescent adjustment.

Keywords

self-esteem, adolescence, psychological assessment, domains of competence, social support, family relations, peer acceptance, school achievement, body image, global self-esteem

Authors

DuBois, D. L., Felner, R. D., Brand, S., Phillips, R. C., & Lease

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Self-Esteem Questionnaire is to provide a comprehensive and ecologically valid assessment of an individual’s self-esteem across various life contexts. It was developed specifically to address the limitations of purely global measures, offering domain-specific scores that highlight the areas (e.g., academic competence, peer popularity, family support) contributing significantly to an adolescent’s overall sense of self-worth. This specificity is crucial for targeted intervention planning and for testing developmental theories that posit self-esteem is sustained by competence in valued life domains.

The instrument is designed for use in research settings to explore the linkages between socio-environmental factors, perceived competence, and psychological adjustment during the critical period of early adolescence. By assessing domain-specific self-evaluations, the scale allows for a nuanced understanding of how external social environments influence internal psychological well-being.

Construct

The SEQ measures Self-Esteem, defined here within a multi-dimensional framework. The theoretical foundation draws heavily on the developmental-ecological perspective, which posits that self-esteem is not a monolithic trait but rather a collection of self-evaluations made within important social and performance contexts. The scale captures both domain-specific self-esteem and a measure of overall, or Global Self-Esteem.

The six constructs measured are:

• Peers: Reflects perceived social competence and popularity among friends and age mates.
• School: Reflects feelings of academic competence and success in educational tasks.
• Family: Reflects perceived acceptance, love, and support from family members.
• Sports/Athletics: Reflects perceived competence in physical activities and sports.
• Body Image: Reflects satisfaction with physical appearance, height, and weight.
• Global Self-Esteem: Reflects a general, overarching sense of self-worth and satisfaction with oneself as a person, irrespective of specific domains.

Validity

Studies supporting the SEQ, primarily conducted by DuBois and colleagues (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999), have established strong evidence for its construct validity. The multi-dimensional structure aligns well with theoretical models suggesting that self-esteem is domain-specific during adolescence. The scale demonstrates expected correlations with measures of social support, behavioral problems, and overall adjustment, indicating good criterion validity. Specifically, global self-esteem scores derived from the SEQ predict general psychological well-being, while specific domain scores are better predictors of context-specific outcomes (e.g., School self-esteem correlates strongly with academic performance).

Reliability

The reliability of the Self-Esteem Questionnaire, assessed primarily through internal consistency, is generally high across its six domains and for the global score. Researchers utilizing the SEQ consistently report high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, often ranging from the 0.70s to the high 0.80s for the domain subscales, and typically exceeding 0.85 for the Global Self-Esteem scale. This indicates that the items within each domain are highly interrelated and reliably measure the intended psychological construct.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the SEQ has been rigorously investigated using Factor Analysis (DuBois et al., 1996). Results typically support the hypothesized six-factor model, confirming the differentiation between the various domains of self-esteem. The established factor structure includes:

• Peers (Items 1, 7, 13, 19, 25, 30, 35, 39)
• School (Items 2, 8, 14, 20, 26, 31, 36, 40)
• Family (Items 3, 9, 15, 21, 27, 32, 37, 41)
• Sports/Athletics (Items 5, 11, 17, 23, 28, 33)
• Body Image (Items 4, 10, 16, 22)
• Global Self-Esteem (Items 6, 12, 18, 24, 29, 34, 38, 42)

This confirmatory factor analysis substantiates the use of domain-specific scores alongside the overall global score, providing empirical support for the scale’s multi-dimensional approach to assessing self-esteem.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire (Psychometric Scale)

Format: 42 items administered via paper-and-pencil or digitally, utilizing a 4-point Likert Scale format: Strongly Disagree (SD), Disagree (D), Agree (A), Strongly Agree (SA).

Language Available: Primarily English (as developed in the United States).

Population Group: Children and early adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with youth aged 10–14 (middle school years), corresponding to the period of Early Adolescence.

Population Details: The scale is designed to be accessible and relevant to a general population of early adolescents, having been validated across diverse samples.

Test Methodology: Scoring involves reversing negatively worded items (such as items 9, 11, 12, 15, 22, 28, 29, 30, 40, 42) and summing the scores for each of the six subscales, as well as calculating an overall Global Self-Esteem score. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived competence or self-regard within that specific domain.

Keywords

SEQ, DuBois, multi-dimensional self-esteem, developmental psychology, social context, competence domains, psychological measure, adolescent development

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Self-Esteem Questionnaire was developed and validated primarily through research published in 1996 (DuBois, Felner, Brand, & Phillips). The instrument is widely referenced in academic literature and is typically available for non-commercial academic research use, though specific usage permissions should be sought from the primary authors or the publisher of the compilation where it was printed (Simmons & Lehmann, 2013). Fees for commercial or clinical use may apply.

Reference’s

• DuBois, D. L., Felner, R. D., Sherman, M. D., & Bull, C. A. (1994). Socio-environmental experiences, self-esteem, and emotional/behavioral problems in early adolescence. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 371–397.
• DuBois, D. L., Felner, R. D., Brand, S., & Phillips, R. C. (1996). Early adolescent self-esteem: A developmental–ecological framework and assessment strategy. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 6(4), 543–579.
• DuBois, D. L., Bull, C. A., Sherman, M. D., & Roberts, M. (1998). Self-esteem and adjustment in early adolescence: A social-contextual perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 557–583.
• DuBois, D. L., & Tevendale, H. D. (1999). Self-esteem in childhood and adolescence: Vaccine or epiphenomenon? Applied and Preventive Psychology, 8, 103–117.
• DuBois, D. L., Felner, R. D., Brand, S., & George, G. R. (1999). Profiles of self-esteem in early adolescence: Identification and investigation of adaptive correlates. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 899–932.
• DuBois, D. L., Burk-Braxton, C., Swenson, L.P., Tevendale, H.D., Lockerd, E.M., and Moran, B.L. (2002). Getting By With a Little Help From Self and Others: Self-Esteem and Social Support as Resources During Early Adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 38(5), 822–839.
• DuBois, Felner, Brand, Phillips, & Lease, (1996). Self-Esteem Questionnaire. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 506-508. (2013). Google Scholar

Items of the Self-Esteem Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.