Effects of living environment on the self-esteem of junior high school students : factor structure modeling in Tokyo urban area and isolated islands

This study aimed to clarify the effects of the urban area and isolated island living environments on the self-esteem of junior high school students using a factor structure model. The subjects were 577 junior high school students in urban areas and 135 junior high school students in three isolated island schools. The survey was conducted from September to October 2022 using a self-administered, unmarked questionnaire. The sur-vey items were related to lifestyle, relationship with surroundings, residential area, experiences, self-evaluation, and a self-esteem scale and the POMS. As a result of factor analysis, a seven-factor structure was extracted for urban areas and five factors for isolated islands. Subsequent covariance structure analysis revealed that the parent-child relationship had the most substantial influence on self-esteem in both urban areas and isolated is-lands. In particular, children’s daily conversations with their parents and their feeling of recognition and ac-ceptance increased their self-esteem. In addition to the parent-child relationship, teachers were included in the isolated islands items, indicating that children have closer relationships with their parents than in urban areas. Furthermore, it became clear that good relationships with parents and others lead to sharing nature and various experiences, which fosters self-esteem. It was also confirmed that increased self-esteem enhances a sense of physical health by ensuring a good night’s sleep. In this study, we were able to clarify the factors that structurally affect self-esteem through the direct and in-direct influence of various factors through the factor structure model.