Perfectionistic Self‐Presentation, Somatic Symptoms, and Mental Health in Adolescents From a High‐Achieving School: The Moderating Role of Perceived Parental Alienation and Gender
Alexis A. Anello, Laura A. Wright, Jenna B. Shapiro, Kelsey N. Jervis, Alexandra G. Dennis, Edin T. RandallABSTRACT
Introduction
Adolescents in high‐achieving schools (HAS) are considered a high‐risk group due to unrelenting pressures to excel. Despite being at risk for poorer mental health outcomes, few studies have assessed how psychosocial stressors impact physical health in this population. There is evidence that youth from HAS struggle with perfectionistic demands and perceive greater parental alienation, both of which may influence psychological and physical health. This study examines associations between three domains of perfectionistic self‐presentation, somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and explores the moderating role of parental alienation and gender identity on these relations. This study also presents a detailed description of somatic symptoms among adolescents from HAS.
Methods
Two waves of cross‐sectional data were collected in 2017 and 2019. Students ( n = 181; 99 females and 82 males, M age = 15.61, SD age = 1.01) from a HAS in the Northeastern United States completed self‐report measures. Direct and moderated effects were analyzed using SPSS and the PROCESS macro.
Results
Adolescents in the current sample endorsed high levels of somatic symptoms. Nondisplay of imperfection was associated with more depressive symptoms and anxiety, while perfectionistic self‐promotion was associated with more somatic symptoms. Moderated effects indicated that perfectionistic self‐promotion was related to higher levels of somatic symptoms and nondisplay of imperfection was associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms across all levels of parental alienation. Additionally, nondisplay of imperfection was associated with more depressive symptoms for females only.
Conclusions
Findings highlight associations between parental alienation, perfectionism, and emotional and physical well‐being that warrant further investigation.