Self-Esteem Among Vietnamese American Adolescents: The Role of Self- Construal, Family Cohesion, and Social Support

This prospective study examined whether interdependent self-construal (collectivism), independent self-construal (individualism), family cohesion, and social support would predict levels of self-esteem among Vietnamese American adolescents. Standardized self-report measures of family cohesion, social support, and self-esteem, as well as a measure of self-construal, were administered to 152 Vietnamese American adolescents. The results indicated that independent self-construal, family cohesion, and social support were significantly related to self-esteem. Interdependent self-construal was also found to positively affect self-esteem via family cohesion and social support. The implications of these findings are discussed. (C) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.