A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria
Introduction: Self-esteem plays a crucial role in adolescent development, influencing psychological wellbeing, academic performance, and social interactions. However, there is limited research examining self-esteem differences between urban and rural adolescents in Nigeria. This study investigates...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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James Cook University
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Rural and Remote Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/9143/ |
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| author | Abieyuwa Fagbohun Adebola Orimadegun Olusegun Akinyinka |
| author_facet | Abieyuwa Fagbohun Adebola Orimadegun Olusegun Akinyinka |
| author_sort | Abieyuwa Fagbohun |
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Introduction: Self-esteem plays a crucial role in adolescent development, influencing psychological wellbeing, academic performance, and social interactions. However, there is limited research examining self-esteem differences between urban and rural adolescents in Nigeria. This study investigates the self-esteem levels of secondary school students in urban and rural settings in Oyo State, Nigeria, and identifies key predictors of low self-esteem.
Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 1638 secondary school adolescents (1181 urban; 457 rural). Participants were recruited from randomly selected schools in Ibadan (urban) and Igbo-Ora (rural). Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, which was analyzed as both a continuous and categorical variable. Hierarchical linear modelling and logistic regression were used to account for clustering effects and identify factors associated with low self-esteem.
Results: Urban adolescents had significantly higher self-esteem scores than their rural counterparts (mean 14.2 v 12.1, p<0.001). The prevalence of low self-esteem was higher among rural adolescents (11.2% males, 8.2% females) compared to urban adolescents (7.8% males, 4.7% females). In the urban setting, attending a public school (odds ratio (OR)=2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-3.31) and identifying as Muslim (OR=2.10, 95%CI: 1.41-3.12) were significant predictors of low self-esteem. No single predictor was statistically significant for rural adolescents, suggesting self-esteem variability may be influenced by multiple interacting factors.
Conclusion: This study highlights significant disparities in self-esteem levels between urban and rural adolescents, emphasizing the role of educational and sociocultural factors. Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance self-esteem, particularly among rural adolescents and public school students. Gender-sensitive strategies and improved access to psychological support services should be integrated into adolescent development programs.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-af6a9478763844b0aa8e59d1017a95b5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1445-6354 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | James Cook University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Rural and Remote Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-af6a9478763844b0aa8e59d1017a95b52025-08-20T04:02:12ZengJames Cook UniversityRural and Remote Health1445-63542025-08-012510.22605/RRH9143A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, NigeriaAbieyuwa Fagbohun0Adebola Orimadegun1Olusegun Akinyinka2University of IbadanUniversity of IbadanUniversity of Ibadan Introduction: Self-esteem plays a crucial role in adolescent development, influencing psychological wellbeing, academic performance, and social interactions. However, there is limited research examining self-esteem differences between urban and rural adolescents in Nigeria. This study investigates the self-esteem levels of secondary school students in urban and rural settings in Oyo State, Nigeria, and identifies key predictors of low self-esteem. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 1638 secondary school adolescents (1181 urban; 457 rural). Participants were recruited from randomly selected schools in Ibadan (urban) and Igbo-Ora (rural). Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, which was analyzed as both a continuous and categorical variable. Hierarchical linear modelling and logistic regression were used to account for clustering effects and identify factors associated with low self-esteem. Results: Urban adolescents had significantly higher self-esteem scores than their rural counterparts (mean 14.2 v 12.1, p<0.001). The prevalence of low self-esteem was higher among rural adolescents (11.2% males, 8.2% females) compared to urban adolescents (7.8% males, 4.7% females). In the urban setting, attending a public school (odds ratio (OR)=2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-3.31) and identifying as Muslim (OR=2.10, 95%CI: 1.41-3.12) were significant predictors of low self-esteem. No single predictor was statistically significant for rural adolescents, suggesting self-esteem variability may be influenced by multiple interacting factors. Conclusion: This study highlights significant disparities in self-esteem levels between urban and rural adolescents, emphasizing the role of educational and sociocultural factors. Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance self-esteem, particularly among rural adolescents and public school students. Gender-sensitive strategies and improved access to psychological support services should be integrated into adolescent development programs. https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/9143/adolescentseducationhierarchical modellingNigeriapsychological wellbeingself-esteem |
| spellingShingle | Abieyuwa Fagbohun Adebola Orimadegun Olusegun Akinyinka A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria Rural and Remote Health adolescents education hierarchical modelling Nigeria psychological wellbeing self-esteem |
| title | A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria |
| title_full | A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria |
| title_fullStr | A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria |
| title_short | A comparative study of self-esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of Oyo State, Nigeria |
| title_sort | comparative study of self esteem in secondary school adolescents in urban and rural settings of oyo state nigeria |
| topic | adolescents education hierarchical modelling Nigeria psychological wellbeing self-esteem |
| url | https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/9143/ |
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