Integration, Social Competence and Life Satisfaction: the Mediating Effect of Resilience and Self-Esteem in Adolescents

The association between life satisfaction, resilience, self-esteem, and social competence has been scarcely studied in developing countries, despite the existing literature regarding its effects on youth mental health. This study aimed to analyze the mediating role of self-esteem and resilience in the relationship between social competence and life satisfaction in adolescents from northern Chile. The sample consisted of 2277 students aged 12–18 years. Self-report scales were used to measure levels of self-esteem and social competence (System of Evaluation of Children and Adolescents; Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes, SENA), resilience (Child and Youth Resilience Measure, CYRM-12), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale-Child, SWLS-C). The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that self-esteem and resilience have a direct effect on life satisfaction, while resilience acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between self-esteem and life satisfaction. Social competence has a direct effect on self-esteem, and an indirect effect on life satisfaction. These results suggest that interventions on social competence contribute to enhancing self-esteem and life satisfaction, and that self-esteem and resilience levels are a source of information for the design of intervention programs with the aim of increasing child and youth satisfaction.