THE PHYSICAL HEALTH DOMAIN OF WHOQOL-100 AND SELF-ESTEEM: A SELF PERCEPTION STUDY OF ADULTS IN VALE DO SINOS, SOUTHERN BRAZIL.

Abstract

Both physical and mental health conditions, relevant factors in the conception of quality of life, are correlated with selfesteem. This study evaluated the association between physical health and self-esteem to understand whether changes in the levels of fatigue, energy, and pain are associated with self-esteem. This cross-sectional descriptive study enrolled a convenience sample of 997 individuals living in the Vale dos Sinos, southern Brazil. Physical health was analyzed using the WHOQOL-100 physical domain, and self-esteem, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. The Spearman correlation coefficient (p=0.05) and the SPSS 15.0 software were used for data analysis. Results showed that people that had frequent physical pain agreed that they did not have much to be proud of ( = -0.180). Participants that were satisfied with their level of energy were also satisfied with themselves. ( = -0.309). Those that were unhappy about their sleep also felt that they were failures ( = 0.207). The only QoL facet not associated with self-esteem was pain and discomfort. The analysis of results showed that there is an important correlation between physical health and self-esteem, and points to the importance of a multiple dimension approach to healthcare because different factors are closely interconnected in the perception of self image.