Depressive symptoms and academic self-image in adolescence

The aim of this paper was to specifically analyse the relationship between the different components of academic self-image, defined as the way adolesc ents represent themselves as students, and self-reported depressive symptom s, assessed with the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), in a non-clinic al sample of 298 adolescents. We considered both adolescents' beliefs about their own cognitive functioning in academic performance and beliefs about their emotional attitude in achievement situations. Our data indicate that the pattern of correlation between emotional beliefs about schooling and le arning are significantly related to CDI scores, but this correlation is not evident for the cognitive beliefs, This pattern of correlation is affected by actual school functioning, because correlation between CDI and beliefs is much more significant in subjects without school failure. Differences be tween gender in CDI scores, beliefs about schooling and learning, and patte rn of correlation are considered. These results can enable to focus support ing psychological interventions on more specific targets. Copyright(C)2001S .KargerAG,Basel.