The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

4032.0: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - 9:15 AM

Abstract #44799

Self-esteem and mortality: Prospective evidence from a population-based study

Katie Stamatakis, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, 1214 S University, 2nd Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 734-615-9935, kastam@umich.edu, John Lynch, PhD, School of Public Health, Dept of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, 109 Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-20, Susan Everson, PhD, MPH, Dept. of Preventive Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 1700 West Van Buren St., Suite 470, Chicago, IL 60612, Trivellore E. Raghunathan, PhD, Biostatistics, University of Michigan, M4218 Sph II, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, Jukka T. Salonen, MD, Research Institute of Public Health, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211, Kuopio, Finland, and George A. Kaplan, PhD, Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan, 1214 S University, 2nd Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

Objective: Self-esteem has been considered by some to be an important factor in relation to psychosocial states such as depression as well as to physical health, although the evidence that supports the latter association is very limited. The objective of this study was to assess whether self-esteem was prospectively related to mortality in a population-based sample of Finnish men. Methods: A sample of 2682 male residents of Kuopio, Finland were interviewed and followed prospectively as part of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). Characteristics of the KIHD sample measured at baseline included self-esteem, as measured by the Rosenberg ten-item scale, socioeconomic factors, behavioral risk factors, other psychosocial characteristics and prevalent diseases. Mortality was ascertained through linkage to the Finnish national death registry. We assessed the relationship between self-esteem and all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Self-esteem was associated with a two-fold increase in age-adjusted mortality. This relationship was partially explained by behavioral and socioeconomic factors, and prevalent diseases. However, when adjusted for other psychosocial characteristics, particularly hopelessness, there was no association between self-esteem and mortality. Conclusions: This study found no association between self-esteem and all-cause mortality, after adjustment for other psychosocial characteristics. Observed relationships between some psychosocial factors and mortality may be the result of residual confounding by related psychosocial constructs.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Psychological Indicators, Mortality

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Social and Lifestyle Determinants of Health

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA