Are the discrepancies between self- and others' appraisals of competence predictive or reflective of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents:A longitudinal study, part II

Two cohorts of children and adolescents (who started 6th grade in 1993 and 1996). parents, teachers, and peers participated in a 4-wave, 2-year. longi tudinal study of perceived competence and depressive symptoms. The authors assessed children's tendencies to underestimate their competence (discrepan t self-appraisals) relative to the appraisals of significant others. We als o assessed the degree to which self-appraisals reflected the evaluations of others (reflective self-appraisals). Domains of competence were academic c ompetence, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, social acceptance, and athletic competence. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that depressive sym ptoms correlated with reflective and discrepant self-appraisals. Longitudin al analyses revealed that reflective and discrepant self-appraisals predict ed subsequent depressive symptoms and that depressive symptoms predicted di screpant but not reflective self-appraisals, Clinical implications of the f indings are discussed.