This study explored the relationships between perceived parental criticism, self-criticism, rumination, concern over mistakes, and depression. The researchers found that perceived parental criticism indirectly predicted self-criticism through its effects on rumination and concern over mistakes. Self-criticism directly predicted depression, over and above the effects of rumination and concern over mistakes. The results suggest early experiences with parental criticism can influence negative cognitive styles like self-criticism, which then maintain depressive symptoms. Addressing self-criticism may be important for preventing and treating depression.

1. Perceived Parental Criticism, Self-Criticism and Depression: An Exploratory Research Gabriele Caselli1,2, Federica Pescini1, Martina Rossi1, Giovanni M. Ruggiero1 & Sandra Sassaroli1 1StudiCognitivi, Cognitive Psychotherapy School, Italy 2 London South Bank University, UK

2. Depression and Self-discrepancyTheory(SDT, Higgins, 1987) SDT assumes that experiences of discrepancy between selves (Actual Self vs Ideal/ Ought/ Feared Self) give rise to specific negative emotions (e.g. depression) (Higgins, 1987, 1999) Depression may result from the comparison between standards or goals (ideal/ought) and everyday life experiences

3. The Cognitive Response to Self-discrepancy All individuals are motivated to move towards a condition where the actual self matches up to the ideal and/or ought self. All individuals experience congruency and/or discrepancies in everyday life Not all individuals cognitively react to self-discrepancy with a mode of processing that may generate or maintain depressive symptoms in the long period (Roelofs et al., 2007) Maladaptive mode of processing (e.g. Internalized Self-Criticism)

4. Internalized Self-Criticism(Thompson & Zuroff, 2004) Internalized Self-Criticism (ISC) is characterized by a negative view of self in comparison with internal personal standards. Individuals with high levels of ISC used to focus on a negative view of self as lacking as a reaction to: Success  denial of successful experiences by further raising the standards Failure  global self-punishment that generate a sense of worthlessness ISC may maintain global and negative self-judgment that in turn may lead to the perseveration of depressive symptoms, especially when they are rigid and chronic , and also maladaptive behavioural patterns

5. The development of Self-Criticism:The role of Perceived Parental Criticism Early experiences influence personal schemas about self, others and personal relationships (Rose & Abramson, 1992) A parental style characterized by low care, high standards and frequent criticism appears to be associated to anxiety, depressive symptoms and negative self-schemata (Gibb, 2002) PPC may lead to a cognitive vulnerability to critics made by others Children may learn to relate to themselves on the same way parents used to relate to them (Brewin et al., 1996)

6. Other negative cognitive processes Ruminative brooding: perseverative, negative and recyclic thinking style focused on personal problems, negative sensations and thoughts and their consequences, usually aimed at finding an explanation for them (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991) Concern over Mistakes: the central feature of maladaptive evaluative concerns and the core component of maladaptive perfectionism (Flett & Hewitt, 2002)

7. AIMS To explore the contribution of Perceived Criticism in predicting Self-Criticism independently from Concern over Mistakes and Ruminative Brooding To explore the predictive role of self-criticism on depressive symptoms independently from other negative cognitive styles

8. Methods Participants: 194 individuals (138 females) recruited from the general population (mean = 35.9 years; SD = 9.6; range = 18-67) Measures: Parental Criticism (PCI), Ruminative Brooding (RRS-B), Concern over Mistakes (MPS-CM), Internalized Self-Criticism (LOSCS-ISC), Depression (BDI) Significant correlations between all measures (from .28 to .54) Procedures: Participants were recruited between e-mail contacts; they were requested to visit online questionnaires and were asked to forward the questionnaire web address to their e-mail contacts.

9. Results R2 = .08** Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism .28**

10. .51** .39** Results R2 = .30** Concern over Mistakes Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism .08

11. Results R2 = .28** Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism .12 .37** .41** Ruminative Brooding

12. Results R2 = .33** Concern over Mistakes .44** .39** Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism .02 .20** .41** Ruminative Brooding

13. R2 = .29** Concern over Mistakes .06 .44** .39** Results Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism Depression .41** .02 .47** .20** .41** Ruminative Brooding .13 .06

14. .44** .39** .41** .47** .20** .41** Results Concern over Mistakes Perceived Parental Criticism Internalized Self-Criticism Depression Ruminative Brooding Chi-Square = 7.44 (p = .06), CFI = .99, GFI = .98, RMSEA = .08, p of close fit = .17

15. Discussion Concern over Mistakes and Ruminative Brooding mediate the relationship between Perceived Criticism and Self-Criticism in a non-clinical population PPC could develop severe high standards and fear for mistakes and their possible consequences: self-criticism may result as strategy used in order to correct oneself and avoid the possibility to make mistakes and to be criticizes by others. PPC could develop a passive cognitive control strategy employed to analyze all negative external and internal events through a self-focused attention that may in turn sustain an internal and generalized locus of control and attribution of responsibility for failures (Self-Criticism). Internalized Self-Criticism predicts depressive symptoms over and above Concern over Mistakes and Ruminative Brooding in a non-clinical population

16. Clinical Implications The core role of assessing and addressing internalized self-criticism as a dysfunctional and automatic cognitive habit employed to cope with both success and failure experiences. This may be helpful to prevent and treat depressive symptoms The need to consider more than one cognitive process in the case formulation and during the treatment of depressive symptoms, even from a developmental point of view. Suggestions to move beyond treatment protocols focused on the most probable dysfunctional process, towards modular protocols that may cover both core and elective topics selected on the basis of a more detailed case formulation.

17. Limitations Findings have a limited relevance respective to psychopathology because of the employment of a non-clinical population Social desirability and self-report biases, context effects and poor recall may have contributed to mistakes and distortions in self-reporting. Sample in this study was almost entirely Caucasian and has been collected from only one geographic region

18. Future Research Extend the findings to clinical samples Evaluate the interaction between selected variables in a wider population Evaluate the mediating role of Self-Criticism, Ruminative Brooding and Concern over Mistakes direct changes during psychological interventions in the reduction of depressive symptoms during prospective studies

19. Thank you for your attention! Contact details Dr. Gabriele Caselli Cognitive Psychotherapy School Studi Cognitivi, Modena, ItalyLondon South Bank University, London, UK g.caselli@studicognitivi.net casellig@lsbu.ac.uk