Self-Esteem Trajectories and Their Social Determinants in Adolescents With Different Levels of Cognitive Ability.
Teens with intellectual disability follow the same upward self-esteem path as typical peers, so low IQ alone is not a risk factor for poor self-image.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McIntyre et al. (2017) tracked self-esteem in 11- to young learners for three years. Half the teens had mild or moderate intellectual disability; half were neurotypical.
Every year each teen answered a short self-esteem scale. The team then drew growth curves for both groups.
What they found
The two lines looked almost identical. Self-esteem rose gently each year for both groups.
Low IQ did not predict lower self-esteem or bumpier growth. The kids with ID felt just as good about themselves as their typical classmates.
How this fits with other research
McAuliffe et al. (2020) saw the same pattern in math class. Students with low IQ matched typical peers in motivation, effort, and grades. Together these studies say ability level does not create a different social-emotional world.
Sievers et al. (2020) push the idea into adulthood. They show that what counts as a "good life" must change with ability. Self-esteem stays parallel, yet life goals must be tailored.
Howlin et al. (2006) add hope. A short group program lifted both mood and self-esteem in adults with ID. Growth is possible if we later decide to intervene.
Why it matters
Stop assuming your clients with ID feel worse about themselves. Write goals that build skills, not self-worth, because self-worth is already on track. Use the same peer inclusion, leadership roles, and social praise you give typical kids. If you do run a social-emotional group, borrow the Howlin et al. (2006) manual and measure both mood and self-esteem; change is doable, but it is not required just because IQ is low.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examines the development of self-esteem in a sample of 138 Australian adolescents (90 males; 48 females) with cognitive abilities in the lowest 15% (L-CA) and a matched sample of 556 Australian adolescents (312 males; 244 females) with average to high levels of cognitive abilities (A/H-CA). These participants were measured annually (Grade 7 to 12). The findings showed that adolescents with L-CA and A/H-CA experience similar high and stable self-esteem trajectories that present similar relations with key predictors (sex, school usefulness and dislike, parenting, and peer integration). Both groups revealed substantial gender differences showing higher levels of self-esteem for adolescent males remaining relatively stable over time, compared to lower levels among adolescent females which decreased until midadolescence before increasing back.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-122.6.539