Self esteem levels vs global scores on the Rosenberg self-esteem scale

BACKGROUND: The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSS) is the most widely used instrument to measure this trait. Although the test offers results by levels (low, medium & high), the mean of global scores it is the indicator mostly used in scientific studies. The purpose of this study is to compare self-esteem levels with the global scores as criteria for contrasting self-esteem in subjects with and without a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse (HCSA). METHOD: RSS was administered to 74 subjects between 17 and 60 years, half of them with a HCSA, 20 men and 54 women; subjects without a HCSA were used as a comparison group. RESULTS: Using the mean of the global scores as a criterion to compare the two groups, no significant differences were observed. However, when using self-esteem levels as a criterion, the findings indicate significant differences between subjects with and without HCSA. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that self-esteem levels are more accurate than global scores to describe this trait and to make comparisons between groups of subjects.