Individual differences in self-esteem trajectories after negative life events: the role of the Big Five personality traits and perceived event characteristics

Negative life events can lead to changes in self-esteem, with diverging effects across individuals. To better understand these individual differences, we examined self-esteem trajectories of 1,069 participants over 6 months following a negative life event. Using latent class analysis, we identified four classes with distinct self-esteem trajectories. While three classes showed comparable increases in self-esteem following negative events, indicating an adaptation to the event over time, one class exhibited no significant change, suggesting a lack of recovery. The Big Five personality traits and, to a lesser extent, perceived event characteristics predicted class membership and individual differences in self-esteem levels following negative life events. Neuroticism, followed by extraversion and social status change, emerged as the strongest predictors. Conversely, the type of event and demographic variables played a minor role in explaining individual differences in self-esteem development after negative events. Together, our findings highlight the importance of both event- and person-related factors in shaping self-esteem development following negative life events and may help identify and support individuals at risk for negative self-esteem trajectories.