ELEVATED SELF-STANDARDS AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS DURING ADOLESCENCE - EMOTIONAL SPECIFICITY AND GENDER DIFFERENCES

This study examined the relation between self-standards and particular forms of emotional distress during adolescence. One hundred fifteen h igh school subjects completed the Selves Questionnaire, the Multidimen sional Perfectionism Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Sta te-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Actual-ideal discrepancies and self-orient ed perfectionism were found to be associated specifically with depress ive symptoms after controlling for anxious symptoms, whereas actual-ou ght discrepancies were associated specifically with anxious symptoms a fter controlling for depressive symptoms. In contrast, socially prescr ibed perfectionism was associated with general emotional distress. Com pared with boys, girls reported more depressive, but not anxious, symp toms. importantly, actual-idea discrepancies partially mediated gender differences in depressive symptoms.