Fragile high self-esteem and alcohol use

Abstract

The relationship between fragile high self-esteem (SE) and daily alcohol use was examined in the present study. Seventy-six undergraduates completed Rosenberg's (1965) SE Scale to assess global SE. Fragile SE was assessed with the Contingent SE Scale (Paradise & Kernis, 2000) and a measure of SE Stability (Kernis et al., 1993) derived from multiple assessments of a modified SE scale in naturalistic contexts. For a two-week period, participants made daily reports of 1) their alcohol use, 2) their subjective preoccupations, and 3) the occurrence of objective events. Fragile SE was associated with greater alcohol consumption on days with more negative events than on days with fewer negative events. Fragile SE was also a significant predictor of consumption in conjunction with socializing and preoccupation with appearance. These relationships varied as a function of age and sex. The current findings suggest that fragile SE influences drinking behaviors in combination with the occurrence of day-to-day events and concerns.