The Effect of Self-Esteem on Social Withdrawal in High School Students: Serial Multiple Mediating Effects of Depression and Somatic Symptoms

This study examined how to mitigate social withdrawal in high schoolstudents by exploring the serial multiple mediating roles of depression and somaticsymptoms in the relationship between self-esteem and social withdrawal. Data weredrawn from the sixth wave of the Grade 7 cohort in the 2018 Korean Children andYouth Panel Survey(KCYPS 2018). Multiple regression analysis was conducted, andthe significance of mediating effects was tested using bootstrapping with PROCESSMacro 4.3(Model 6). The results showed that self-esteem influenced socialwithdrawal through a sequential pathway involving depression and somaticsymptoms, and this serial multiple mediation effect was statistically significant. These findings highlight the need for interventions that not only enhanceself-esteem but also focus on the early detection and prevention of depression andsomatic symptoms to effectively reduce adolescent social withdrawal.