Relationship between perception of self-worth and determinants of clothing satisfaction among pre-adolescents

Self-worth, one of the secondary needs, consists of self-concept and self-esteem. It is during the pre-adolescent period that a child starts defining self, and this determines perception of self-worth. The focus of this paper is on the extent to which the pre-adolescents were satisfied with their clothing and assess their perception of self-worth. The foregoing study was a survey research conducted in six primary schools in Kasarani Division of Nairobi Province, using an interview schedule and essays. A sample of 144 pre-adolescents was selected and both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. The majority of the pre-adolescents were satisfied with their clothing and most of them attributed size and colour to clothing satisfaction. Most of them had a high perception of self-worth in relation to their clothing. There was a significant relationship between clothing satisfaction and self-worth, clothing satisfaction and involvement in clothing selection. It was concluded that through symbolic interaction with significant others and peer group members, clothing satisfaction played a significant role in increasing the pre-adolescent's self-worth and, therefore, issues like involvement in clothing selection which affect pre-adolescent's clothing satisfaction should be considered by those involved with pre-adolescents' clothing.