Abstract
The relationships between self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) and maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies and their collective impact on depression symptoms were examined in the context of a randomized controlled universal trial of the Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program. Five hundred and forty-one children aged 8–12 completed a battery of self-reports, of which responses for measures of depression symptoms, perfectionism, and coping strategies were examined for the purposes of this study. Structural equation modeling tested whether coping mediated the effects of perfectionism on depression. Results indicated that SPP had both a direct and an indirect relationship with depression symptoms through a moderate association with maladaptive coping. Implications for prevention of depression were discussed and recommendations for future research were proposed.
Highlights
Perfectionism or striving for flawlessness is considered an adaptive trait in high achievers and elite athletes as it drives the individual to succeed and as a result contributes positively to mental well-being by improving life satisfaction and self-esteem [1,2,3,4]
While there was a significant interaction of treatment mode and reductions on depression and maladaptive coping (MCOP) measures, these were attributed to small but significant reductions in the control group [CDI: F(1,1078) = 8.13, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.01; and MCOP F(1,1078) = 10.84, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.01], indicating changes in observed mean scores were not due to the intervention
Practical and Theoretical Implications This study extended on a very limited body of research demonstrating links between MCOP and perfectionism and presenting novel research results of structural equation modeling (SEM) of the interrelationships between socially prescribed and self-oriented perfectionism (SOP), coping, and depression
Summary
Perfectionism or striving for flawlessness is considered an adaptive trait in high achievers and elite athletes as it drives the individual to succeed and as a result contributes positively to mental well-being by improving life satisfaction and self-esteem [1,2,3,4]. Individuals with maladaptive perfectionism traits tend to engage in critical self-evaluation against a rigid set of unrealistically high expectations, leading to dichotomous thinking, rumination over mistakes, procrastination, increased stress, dysphoria, and performance dissatisfaction [7, 8]. If follows that maladaptive perfectionism may contribute to the development and maintenance of depression, a clinical disorder that may manifest during adolescence [9,10,11]. In examining the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and depression in children, researchers commonly utilize the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS) developed by Flett colleagues, an adaptation of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) devised to assess intra and interpersonal dimensions of perfectionism in adult populations [13]. The measure like its adult counterpart differentiates between self-oriented perfectionism (SOP), the striving for, and critical self-evaluation against self-imposed excessively high standards; and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP), the striving for, and critical self-evaluation against, the perceived expectation
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