The present study examined the prospective relation between two personality predispositions, self-criticism and dependency, and internalizing symptoms. Specifically, it was examined whether self-criticism and dependency predicted symptoms of depression and social anxiety, and if a vulnerability-stress or stress generation model best explained the relation between the personality predispositions and emotional distress in Chinese adolescents. Participants included 558 adolescents (310 females and

more »

... 248 males) from an urban school in Changsha, and 592 adolescents (287 females and 305 males) from a rural school in Liuyang, both located in mainland China. Participants completed self-report measures of self-criticism and dependency at baseline, and self-report measures of negative events, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety symptoms once a month for six months. Findings showed that self-criticism predicted depressive symptoms, while dependency predicted social anxiety symptoms. In addition, support was found for a stress generation model, as opposed to a vulnerability-stress model, with achievement stressors mediating the relation between self-criticism and depressive iii symptoms, and interpersonal stressors mediating the relation between dependency and social anxiety symptoms. Overall, these findings highlight new developmental pathways for the development of depressive and social anxiety symptoms in mainland Chinese adolescents. Implications for cross-cultural developmental psychopathology research are discussed. iv