The influence of social capital on the self-esteem of Dutch adolescents

Abstract

The amount of mental health problems among Dutch adolescents is increasing. In a world in which mental health problems are still a sensitive topic, more attention is started to be given, fueled by governmental engagement. Despite this, little research has been done on this topic while future policies can gain substantially from its findings. In this research we specifically focus on self-esteem, a key component of mental health, and an important determinant of mental health issues among adolescents. When looking into this we include three components of the most common predictors of mental health problems, namely network size, amount of perceived social support and ethnic homogeneity. Additionally, we look into the interaction between these variables on self-esteem and the consequences of specific levels of self-esteem on deviant behaviour. While doing this, the effects are compared between the Dutch native population and the four biggest ethnic groups in the Netherlands (Antillean, Surinamese, Turkish, and Moroccan). We find a tendency of adolescents for the in-group and a significant effect of self-esteem on deviant behaviour. We do not find a significant relationship between any component of social capital on self-esteem nor for the interaction effects. These findings suggest future policies pay attention to mental health problems as a cause of deviant behaviour of adolescents.