The Risk Factors, Resource Factors, and Protective Factors of Image Identity in Predicting Adolescent Depression: The Effect of Identity Firmness Weighted by Identity Importance
Date Issued
2011
Date
2011
Author(s)
Hua, Shao-Chang
Abstract
Identity firmness is the extent to which one feels that he/she will stay the same on a specific facet continuously regardless of temporal or spatial changes. Identity importance is the degree of desire to fulfill a specific facet of one’s identity. Past research has revealed that identity firmness is a key factor in predicting adolescent depression. This study proposed that identity importance would also contribute to one’s psychological health. That is, identity firmness weighted by identity importance may be a conceptually more thorough indicator for adolescent mental health. In addition, image identity is an aspect of the content of identity that is highly concerned by and related with the daily life of adolescents. Therefore, the present study attempted to use the score of identity firmness weighted by identity importance to investigate which of the facets from image identity play a role as the risk factor, the resource factor, or the protective factor in predicting adolescent depression. A total of 1969 students from four senior high schools in Taipei participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete the “Questionnaire of Identity Importance, 3rd edition” (QII-III), the “Questionnaire of Identity Firmness, 3rd edition” (QIF-III), and the “Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale” (CES-D). In Analysis 1, a stepwise regression analysis was conducted using the weighted identity firmness scores from eight facets of image identity (i.e., appearance, academic achievement, diligence, athleticism, computer studies, music & art, popularity, and materialism) as the predictors, and the depression score as the outcome variable. Results indicated the weighted identity firmness score of appearance, academic achievement, diligence, popularity, and materialism played a role as the risk factor in predicting adolescent depression. In Analysis 2, hierarchical regression analysis was applied to investigate whether the weighted firmness scores of athleticism, computer studies, music & art, and diligence could moderate the relation between the abovementioned risk factors and depression. Results indicated that the weighted firmness scores of athleticism, computer studies, music & art, and diligence all played a significant role as the resource factor above and beyond the impact of each of the risk factors to adolescent depression. In addition, the weighted identity firmness scores of athleticism, music & art, and diligence were found to serve as the protective factor that buffered against adolescent depression brought about by the low weighted firmness of popularity. Additionally, the weighted firmness of athleticism was able to buffer against the effect of low academic achievement, and males’ weighted firmness of computer studies was able to buffer against the impact of low appearance firmness on depression. The present study provided practical information for helping high-school-level adolescents in decreasing their depression.
Subjects
weighted firmness
image identity
risk factor
protective factor
resource factor
adolescent depression
SDGs
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