Relations among resilience, interpersonal stress coping and self-esteem in elementary school children.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of resilience and interpersonal stress coping on self-esteem in school children. The subjects of this study were 111 children in the fifth and six grades in one elementary school in Aichi prefecture. The survey was conducted by an anonymous questionnaire that consisted of a resilience scale, interpersonal stress coping scale, friendship stressor scale and self-esteem scale. Some results are shown below. Factor analysis by the principal factor method and promax rotation were conducted for 24 items of the resilience scale, and three factors were identified: "positive future orientation", "seeking interests and concerns" and "emotional regulation". Similarly, factor analysis was conducted for 14 items of the interpersonal stress coping scale, and three factors were identified: "self-examination and repression", "positive reappraisal and assertion" and "convey the truth". Correlational analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between self-esteem and all of the resilience factors, and positive reappraisal and assertion among the stress coping factors, for people who had experienced friendship stressors. A significant correlation was seen between some aspects of resilience some aspects of coping. Groups with high and low scores for resilience and stress coping were used as independent variables, and self-esteem was a dependent variable. The results of ANOVA showed main effects of level of resilience (seeking interests and concerns and emotional regulation). Furthermore, ANOVA indicated significant interaction effects of positive future orientation and positive reappraisal and assertion, future orientation and conveying the truth, and emotional regulation and self-examination and repression. The results of this study suggested that resilience and coping leads directly or indirectly to raising self-esteem