distressing vs distressful

distressing and distressful both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
distressing	No	Yes	No	No
distressful	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, distressing and distressful are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of distressing include disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrisome, worrying.

distressing (adjective)	distressful (adjective)
bad; unfortunate	causing distress or worry or anxiety
causing distress or worry or anxiety