Utility of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale.
The common RSES is too weak for adults with ID—use an ID-tailored measure instead.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Davis et al. (2009) checked if the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) works for adults with intellectual disabilities.
They gave the 10-item questionnaire to 219 adults and ran standard reliability and validity tests.
What they found
The scale came back only moderately reliable and showed poor criterion validity.
In plain words: the RSES gives shaky answers for this group, so you should doubt the scores you get.
How this fits with other research
Lee et al. (2010) used Rasch methods on two new scales for the same population and found solid, unidimensional measures.
Their positive results do not contradict Clare’s negative ones; they simply show that better tools exist when you build them for ID from the ground up.
Santos et al. (2014) likewise found good reliability after carefully adapting the Adaptive Behavior Scale for Portuguese speakers—again proving careful scale work can succeed.
Why it matters
If you still grab the RSES for self-esteem checks in adults with ID, stop. Pick a tool that was built or fixed for this group, or at least interpret RSES numbers with extreme caution.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) continues to be used to purportedly measure self-esteem of people with intellectual disabilities, despite the lack of sound evidence concerning its validity and reliability when employed with this population. The psychometric foundations of the RSES were analyzed here with a sample of 219 participants with intellectual disabilities. The factor analytic methods employed revealed two factors (Self-Worth and Self-Criticism) and more specific problems with RSES Items 5 and 8. Overall, this scale showed only moderate temporal and moderate internal reliability and poor aspects of criterion validity. Results are discussed with reference to either developing a new measure of self-esteem or redesigning and simplifying the RSES in order to increase its initial face validity in intellectual disability samples.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2009 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-114.3.172