Understanding the daily experiences of internalizing and externalizing adolescents: Self-esteem responses to interaction with adults and peers

The present study employs a daily process design to examine how the self-esteem of internalizing and externalizing adolescents responds to daily changes in negative and positive interpersonal events. High risk teens reported on their daily interactions and self-esteem on 8 weekday nights. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms significantly moderated self-esteem reactivity. Internalizing adolescents' self-esteem was more reactive to negative adult events and less reactive to positive peer interactions. Externalizing teens' self-esteem was less reactive to both negative and positive adult events and more reactive to negative peer interactions. Results are discussed in relation to two models of self-esteem reactivity and in relation to theories of the mechanisms associated with internalizing and externalizing pathology. Implications for intervention with symptomatic teens are also discussed.