The Role of Implicit and Explicit Self-esteem in Predicting Depression Syndromes, Suicidal Ideation and Loneliness

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship, and discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, with depression syndromes, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. The present study was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population include all of the Farhangian University of Kurdistan students in the academic year 2017-2018. 95 volunteers participated using a voluntary sampling method in this research. Measurement tools included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Name Initial Preferences Task, Beck Depression Inventory, beck suicide ideation Scale, and Loneliness Scale. The results with hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that explicit but not implicit self-esteem was negatively associated with depression syndromes, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. Simultaneously implicit and explicit self-esteem was associated with suicidal ideation. Furthermore, the size of the discrepancy between implicit and explicit self-esteem was positively associated with depression syndromes, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. In addition, the direction of the discrepancy was an important: damaged self-esteem was consistently associated with increased levels of depression syndromes, suicidal ideation, and loneliness, while defensive self-esteem was not. In sum, these findings provided a new insight into the relationship of implicit and explicit self-esteem with depression syndromes, suicidal ideation, and loneliness. Therefore, conceptual models that include only explicit self-esteem and neglect the effects of implicit self-esteem need to be re-evaluated.