AI Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how striving for high achievement, influenced by the "superhero ideal," can lead to depressive symptoms in adolescents aged 12-14.
- The research reveals that the pressure to excel in personal and professional areas, defined as the superhero ideal, is linked to increased depressive symptoms.
- Authentic relationships with peers and parents were found to partially mediate this connection, suggesting that the quality of social connections may influence the impact of these unrealistic expectations on mental health.
Article Abstract
Striving for high achievement across multiple domains to achieve an unrealistic ideal may predict adolescents' depressive symptoms, and this relation may be explained by authenticity in meaningful relationships. This is the first known study to examine the relation between internalization of the superhero ideal, defined as the socially prescribed desire for achievement across personal and professional domains, and depressive symptoms, and to examine authenticity in relationships as a mediator in the relation between the superhero ideal and depressive symptoms. Participants were 163 adolescents (ages 12-14). Multiple mediation results utilizing cross-sectional data indicated that the superhero ideal was related to depressive symptoms and that authenticity in relationships with peers and parents partially mediated this relation. These results identify a possible explanation for understanding the relation between the superhero ideal and depressive symptoms.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103559 | DOI Listing |
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