Do Working on Streets and Income Level Affect Self-esteem, Life Satisfaction and Depression Levels of Early Adolescents?

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to compare self-esteem, life satisfaction and depression
levels of three different groups of elementary students coming from different income levels. The present study
was carried out with 700 elementary school students (283-female, 417-male) from 6th, 7th and 8th grades in
Diyarbakır city center. The measures of the study were Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Multidimensional
Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale and Children’s Depression Inventory. The results of one way MANOVA
yielded no significant differences between the group working on streets and the group coming from low-income
families, but not working on streets, while a significant difference was obtained between those two groups and
the group coming from high-income families in favor of the last group with regard to self-esteem, life
satisfaction and depression variables. Moreover, there were significant correlations among the variables of the
study. Income level plays an import role in mental health by creating an environment where people face
fortunate and unfortunate life experiences.