The Role of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Strategies Within the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model

The perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM) contends that perfectionistic traits are negatively associated with depressive symptoms through reduced social support. However, no studies have investigated the role of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in this disconnection process. This study aimed to examine whether different interpersonal emotion regulation strategies play mediating roles in the PSDM framework, using a partial structural equation modeling with a sample of 315 South Korean adults (female = 65.7%) aged 18 to 33 years (M = 24.9, SD = 3.03). Results from the serial mediation analysis indicated that self-oriented perfectionism was positively associated with a tendency of using other people to boost one’s positive emotions (i.e., enhancing positive affect), while socially prescribed perfectionism was negatively associated with this tendency. The tendency of using this strategy mediates the relationship between perfectionism traits and perceived social support, and consequential depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that interpersonal emotion regulation strategies aimed at enhancing positive emotions may help individuals with high perfectionistic traits to experience less social disconnection.