The effectiveness of a domain specific self-esteem group intervention: a pilot study

Volume one of this thesis is presented in three parts. Part one presents a systematic review of domain specific self-esteem measures for adults. A total of 13 papers evaluating 10 domain specific self-esteem measures were reviewed. Results indicated a general lack of psychometric robustness of measures in literature. Future research should focus on the continued validation of these measures. Part two is an empirical study which investigated the effectiveness of a domain specific self-esteem group intervention developed by Hollingdale (2015). The empirical study was conducted jointly with Emily Dixon. Results indicated an improvement in domain specific self-esteem (i.e. perceived competence) in valued domains. The discrepancy between perceived competence and importance placed in valued domains decreased after the intervention. Attributional styles towards negative events showed a shift towards more external, unstable and specific styles post-intervention and continued moving towards this direction at the one-month follow up. A significant relationship was found between domain specific self-esteem and attributional styles towards negative events. Overall, the domain specific self- esteem group is a promising intervention for self-esteem that requires further study. Part three provides a critical appraisal of the systematic review and empirical study. It begins with a discussion about definitional and measurement issues faced when conducting the systematic review. The commentary about the empirical study includes reflections on the theoretical issues, measurement issues, group experience and challenges faced. It concludes with a reflection on implementing the domain specific self-esteem group within the National Health Service (NHS)