Relationships between self-esteem trajectories and job satisfaction in people with physical disabilities

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was threefold: First, this study examined latent classes of trajectories in the longitudinal course of self-esteem for people with physical disabilities. Second, this study examined differences in the mean scores of job satisfaction across the latent classes. Third, this study examined the reciprocal relationships between self-esteem and job satisfaction. Method: The data of self-esteem and job satisfaction came from the 1st to 3rd waves in the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled 2nd Wave(PESD). The latent classes of self-esteem were analyzed through latent class growth modeling. Differences in the mean scores of job satisfaction across the latent classes were analyzed through ANOVA. The auto regressive cross-lagged effects between self-esteem and job satisfaction were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results: Three latent classes of trajectories were identified: The consistent high(a), the moderate increasing(b), the consistent low(c) classes. Differences in the mean scores of job satisfaction across the latent classes were statistically significant. The post-hoc Scheffe tests revealed significant differences(a > b > c). The results of autoregressive cross-lagged modeling showed that the preceding self-esteem significantly predicts the subsequent job satisfaction and that the preceding job satisfaction predict the subsequent self-esteem. These results support the reciprocal effects between self-esteem and job satisfaction. Conclusion: The results suggest that self-esteem has a prospective impact on real-world life-experiences and that satisfaction in work has a prospective impact on internal psychological-experiences.