The predictive power of self-esteem in decision making and decision-making styles on psychological resilience in adolescents

This study aims to examine the extent to which adolescents' psychological resilience can be predicted by self-esteem in decision-making and decision-making styles. Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's capacity to withstand and adapt to stressful life events, and numerous individual and environmental factors play a role in its development. Adolescence is a period when decision-making skills begin to form while psychological vulnerabilities also increase; therefore, understanding the cognitive and emotional variables associated with this process is of particular importance. Within the scope of the study, the effects of self-esteem in decision-making and the subdimensions of decision-making styles—vigilant, hypervigilant, buck-passing, and avoidant—on psychological resilience were examined. The sample consisted of a total of 505 students enrolled in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades during the 2023–2024 academic year in the Ceyhan district of Adana, Türkiye. Of the participants, 280 were female and 225 were male. Data were collected using the "Child and Youth Resilience Measure" and the "Adolescent Decision-Making Questionnaire." For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were employed. Self-esteem in decision-making and four decision-making styles (vigilant, hypervigilant, buck-passing, and avoidant) were treated as the primary variables. The findings revealed that self-esteem in decision-making and the vigilant decision-making style were significant and positive predictors of psychological resilience, whereas hypervigilant, buck-passing, and avoidant styles had a negative impact. These results indicate that the individual's perception of their decision-making process plays a determining role in adolescent psychological resilience. The findings also emphasize that promoting healthy decision-making skills is a critical component in intervention programs aimed at enhancing psychological resilience. Especially during adolescence, psychoeducational practices designed to increase awareness of negative decision-making tendencies such as hypervigilance, avoidance, and buck-passing are of great importance. Moreover, not only individual skills but also emotional support, trust, and healthy communication within the family environment play a determining role in the development of psychological resilience. In this context, the findings contribute to the development of individual-, family-, and school-based intervention programs and offer recommendations for future research. Keywords: Adolescence, psychological resilience, self-esteem in decision-making, decision-making styles