Self-esteem and its relationship with depression and anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic literature review.

Lau et al. (2023) looked at every paper they could find on self-esteem in adults with intellectual disability. They pulled 24 studies and asked: How does self-esteem link to depression and anxiety in this group?

The team did a systematic review. That means they followed a clear recipe to find, pick, and rate the studies. They only kept papers that measured self-esteem in adults with ID.

The results were mixed. Some adults with ID showed low self-esteem, others did not. One clear pattern did pop out: people who joined in meaningful activities tended to feel better about themselves.

Depression and low self-esteem often showed up in the same person, but the papers could not tell us which causes which. No study ran an experiment, so we still lack causal proof.

Davies et al. (2014) warned us not to read too much into “depression signs” in ID. They found little proof that aggression or self-injury equals depression. Lau et al. (2023) agree: mood and behavior links are messy and need stronger designs.

Matson et al. (2008) showed that adults with mild ID who keep asking “Do you like me?” tend to feel more depressed. The new review lines up with this: low self-esteem and depression travel together, even if we do not yet know the road map.

Edgin et al. (2017) found that socially anxious adolescents with mild ID read neutral faces as mean. Lau et al. (2023) extend this picture to adults: anxiety, mood, and self-worth all mingle in the ID population.

You can act now while researchers hunt for firmer proof. Add real choices and fun roles to the day: club helper, snack shopper, plant-waterer. These small activity boosts are the only lever the review flags as likely to lift self-esteem. Track mood before and after to build your own evidence file.