Gender and Residential Context as Determinants of Adolescents’ Self-Esteem, Academic Achievement, and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical stage of development in which psychological resources and environmental contexts dramatically shape academic as well as emotional outcomes. Demographic factors such as gender and residential background may influence adolescents’ self-image, academic performance and quality of life. The current study explored the influence of gender and residential context on adolescents’ self-esteem, as well as their academic achievement and subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction). The sample included 392 adolescents aged between 14 to 17 years (196 males and 196 females) recruited from rural and urban secondary schools. Two-way analyses of variance indicated significant main effects for gender, F(1, 388) = 10.39, p <. 001, and in terms of residence, F(1, 388) = 9.645, p <. 01, coupled with a broad Gender and Residence interaction, F(1, 388) = 5.98, p <. 05, on self-esteem. Main effect of gender was significant for academic achievement, F(1, 388) = 6.82, p <. 01, and income, F(3, 388) = 13.01, p <. 001, and a large interaction, F(1, 388) = 8.76, p <. 01 of the highest scores, and rural females coming in last. Urban youths reported greater positive affect than rural ones, F(1, 388) = 6.27, p <. 01. Main and interaction effects of gender and residence for negative affect and life satisfaction were not significant. The findings thus show that gender and place of residence are responsible independently or interactively for differences in psychological and academic outcomes in adolescents. These results highlight the significance of considering demographic contexts when designing educational and psychological interventions for adolescents.