Perceived criticism only matters when it comes from those you live with

Abstract

Perceived criticism (PC) is the amount of criticism that a respondent perceives from another individual, typically a relative with whom the respondent lives. Measured in this way, PC has been shown to predict symptom fluctuation, treatment outcome, and relapse rates across many disorders. Three recent studies failed to replicate these results, but in all three studies, investigators did not require patients to rate people with whom they lived on the measure of PC, which may have changed the overall meaning of the construct. To address this possibility, the current study examined change in depressive symptoms in relation to ratings of PC from multiple individuals who did and did not live with respondents. Only PC from family members or romantic partners who lived with participants predicted change in depressive symptoms. Perceived criticism from friends and PC from individuals ranked as most influential did not. These findings suggest that PC is most meaningful and informative when viewed in its original conceptual form, as a reflection of the family home environment.