Self-esteem and Puerto Rican youth: Effectiveness of an intervention model to improve self-esteem and reduce symptoms of depression. Puertorriqueña Psicología magazine.

      Many of our youths are suffering from symptoms of depression and low self-esteem. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshops offered by the program Improving Your Self-Esteem (META) of the Office for the Promotion and Human Development, Inc. in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. This program is intended to strengthen the self-esteem of adolescents and young adults. Also, to see  if these were effective in reducing symptoms of depression and evaluate the existence of a relationship between self-esteem and depression (Rosello, Toro-Alfonso & Vera, 2010). The method used was mixed. They are involving a total of 70 people between the ages of 16-29 years. Based on this research it showed that the workshops offered by the META program are effective in improving self-esteem and also for reducing symptoms of depression. Therefore, a relationship between self-esteem and depression reflection, the more symptoms of depression lower self-esteem levels shown. Programs like this should continue training to help our youth and lead them to self-acceptance. No matter if you are weak or thin, overweight or obese, we are human beings with a purpose which we must fulfill.

     As far as I'm concerned, these programs are very helpful for people who are facing problems with depression and low self-esteem because of their appearance. Depression and low self-esteem are negative factors which affect our way of life, including people around us. It is important to strengthen our positive emotions in order to get right with ourselves. In addition, identifying depression or any emotional problems in time decreases the risk of suffering from severe depression in the future. However, reading tells us how important it is to be well with ourselves and love ourselves as we are and that everyone has a purpose to fulfill in this life. Love yourself, respect yourself and value yourself.