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Relations of eating behavior and symptoms of depression and anxiety to the dimensions of perfectionism among undergraduate women

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Abstract

Two studies examined the associations of overall perfectionism and dimensions of perfectionism to pathology in college women. In both studies, depressive symptoms were related to increased concern about mistakes, doubts about actions, and parental expectations. However, those higher in depressive symptoms tended to set lower personal standards, significantly so in Study 2. In both studies, eating disturbance was related to concern over mistakes and doubts about actions, but not to parental expectations or personal standards. In Study 2, perfectionism dimensions related differentially to anxiety symptoms. Concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and, marginally, low personal standards, related to anxiety symptoms, but parental expectations and parental criticism did not. When depressive symptoms were controlled, neither overall perfectionism nor any of the perfectionism subscales predicted anxiety symptoms. However, perfectionism was still related to depressive symptoms after controlling for anxiety symptoms. Perfectionism may thus be more specific to depressive than to anxiety symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., 20016, Washington, DC

    Maureen L. Minarik & Anthony H. Ahrens

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  1. Maureen L. Minarik
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  2. Anthony H. Ahrens
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We would like to thank David A. F. Haaga, Diane Arnkoff, and two anonymous reviewers for their feedback on earlier drafts of this paper.

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Minarik, M.L., Ahrens, A.H. Relations of eating behavior and symptoms of depression and anxiety to the dimensions of perfectionism among undergraduate women. Cogn Ther Res 20, 155–169 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02228032

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