TITLE:
Exploring the Causal Relationship between Life Skills and Self-Esteem in University Freshmen: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis
AUTHORS:
Yulong Chen, Kazuki Fujita
KEYWORDS:
Life Skill, Self-Esteem, University Student, Cross-Lagged Effect Model
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
22,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study aims to examine the state of self-esteem among university freshmen and explore strategies for enhancing self-esteem by analyzing the causal relationship between life skills and self-esteem. Specifically, it assesses whether the acquisition of life skills among university freshmen promotes self-esteem. The method involved a panel survey conducted at two time points targeting university freshmen, followed by a structural equation model analysis using a cross-lagged effect model. The analysis included 203 university freshmen (men = 157, women = 46, mean age = 18.8 ± 0.9 years) attending a private university in Kyoto Prefecture. The first survey (T1) was conducted at the beginning of the fall-winter semester in September 2022, and the second survey (T2) took place at the end of the same semester in January 2023. This study found that in the post-COVID-19 social environment, the higher the interpersonal skills of university freshmen, the lower their self-esteem.