Feeling socially supported and coping skills are associated with quality of life and self-esteem in short youth.
- In healthy short youth, self-esteem is related to the support they receive and their coping skills, rather than their height.
- Children and adolescents whose parents are taller had higher self-esteem.
- Social connections help young people cope with life’s difficulties and encourage them “to seize the opportunities for growth and development that come their way”, according to the team.
“Some parents and caregivers believe that short stature has a negative impact on their children’s self-esteem and social adjustment, so they seek to treat their children with growth hormones in the hope that they will be taller. happy if they’re taller. But our data shows that self-esteem in short kids isn’t related to their height.” said Adda Grimberg, a pediatric endocrinologist, in a statement.
Being around and understood helps short kids feel good about themselves
With her team, the researcher conducted a study to examine how the height and characteristics of children and parents are associated with quality of life and self-esteem in healthy young people. For the purposes of the work, the scientists recruited 60 young people, aged 8 to 14, who were tested for growth hormone. Their parents were also included in the research. Children and adolescents were asked to rate their self-esteem, coping skills, social and parental support. As for their parents, they shared the external threats they perceived and their child’s goals for success.
Using statistical models, the authors found that young people’s quality of life and self-esteem were more associated with coping skills and perceived social support, rather than being short. According to the results, published in the journal The Journal of Pediatrics, perceived social support, particularly from friends and classmates, is the factor most consistently associated with how parents and their child view young people’s self-esteem and quality of life. Clearly, young people who feel surrounded, understood, supported are more likely to feel good about themselves, regardless of their level of shortness. On the other hand, a lack of support could aggravate an inferiority complex.
Better self-esteem in young people whose parents are tall
The researchers also observed that children and adolescents whose parents are taller had higher self-esteem. Indeed, the latter may be told that their small size is temporary, given the size of their parents. Short parents who don’t see their height as a problem may be less likely to seek care for their child’s short stature. This is not the case for parents who are unhappy with their small size. According to the scientists, this potential explanation needs further investigation.
“This study shows that in otherwise healthy children, height is not an issue, unless we view it as such. Instead, we should focus on building social bonds and supports. The fact to be socially integrated and to have social relations not only helps children and adolescents to face the difficulties of life, but also encourages them to seize the opportunities for growth and development available to them in the life”, concluded Adda Grimberg.
