Self-compassion as a mediator to the relationship between Perfectionistic Cognitions, Anxiety and Depression of university students

  • Ali Mahmud Shoeib Professor of Mental Psychology, College of Education, Menofia University, Egypt
Keywords: Self-compassion, perfectionistic thinking, anxiety, depression, university students

Abstract

The current study aimed to examine the role of self-compassion as a mediator in the relationship between perfectionistic thinking and anxiety and depression among university students. The study utilized a sample of 602 participants (49 males, 553 females) from the College of Education, with a mean age of 21.73 ± 3.34. The study employed several measures, including the Perfectionistic Thinking Scale (Flett, Madorsky, Hewitt, & Heisel, 2002), the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck, 1988), and the Beck Depression Inventory (Abdel-Khalek, 1996). The study calculated internal consistency, stability using Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability, and conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses for the study measures. The results indicated statistically significant correlations among the study variables, while the relationship between perfectionistic thinking and depression did not reach statistical significance. The study tested the causal model using regression analysis and path analysis, revealing that self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between perfectionistic thinking and anxiety among university students, while this mediated relationship was not found in the case of depression.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdi, R., Chalabianloo, G., & Joorbonyan, A. (2016). The Mediating Role of Repetitive Negative Thinking in Relationship Between Negative Perfectionism and Severity of Anxiety Symptoms. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci, 10(4), 1-6. doi:doi: 10.17795/ijpbs-5308
Abdollahi, A., Allen, ·., & Taheri, A. (2020). Moderating the Role of Self Compassion in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Depression. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 38, 459–471. doi:doi.org/10.1007/s10942-020-00346-3
Bloore, R., Jose, P., & Joshanloo, M. (2020). Does Hope Mediate and Moderate the Relationship between Happiness Aversion and Depressive Symptoms? Open Journal of Depression(9), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.4236/ojd.2020.91001
Broerman, R. (2015). MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PERFECTIONISM AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. Dayton, Ohio : Thesis of Master of Arts in Psychology, The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON.
Bulik CM, Tozzi F, Anderson C, Mazzeo SE, Aggen S, Sullivan PF(2003). The relation between eating disorders and components of perfectionism. Am J Psychiatry. Feb;160(2):366-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.2.366. PMID: 12562586.
Chai, L., Yang, W., Zhang, J., Chen, S., Hennessy, D., & Liu, Y. (2019). Relationship Between Perfectionism and Depression Among Chinese College Students With Self-Rsteem as a Mediator. Journal of Death and Dying, 490-503. doi:DOI: 10.1177/0030222819849746
Chun-Kennedy, K. (2017). SELF-COMPASSION AS A MEDIATOR OF THE LINK BETWEEN MALADAPTIVE PERFECTIONISM AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND EATING CONCERNS. Pennsylvania State: Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, The Graduate School, The Pennsylvania State University.
Fahim, M., & Noormohammadi, R. (2014). An Investigation into Perfectionism as a Moderator of the Links between Language Learning Styles and Strategies. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(5), 1121-1131. doi:doi:10.4304/jltr.5.5.1121-1131
Flett, G., Madorsky, D., Hewitt, P., & Heisel, M. (2002). PERFECTIONISM COGNITIONS, RUMINATION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 20(1), 33-47.
Frost, R. O., Heimberg, R. G., Holt, C. S., Mattia, J. I., & Neubauer, A. L. (1993). A Comparison of Two Measures of Perfectionism. Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 119-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(93)90181-2
Genc, A. (2022). TEST ANXIETY, COPING, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: MALADAPTIVE PERFECTIONISM AS A MODERATOR. Journal of the Institute for Educational Research, 54(2), 167–187. doi:https://doi.org/10.2298/ZIPI2202167G
Guterman , H. (1998). EXAMINING THE PERFECTIONISM-DEPRESSION LINK: ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE . Dayton, Ohio : Unpublished Master Thesis, UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON.
Harrington, C. (2019). Trait Resilience as a Mediator Between Maladaptive Perfectionism, Anxiety, Depression and Stress in College Students. National College of Ireland: A Thesis is sub,itted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology,the National College of Ireland.
Kenny, D.A. & Baron, R.M. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(1), 1173-1182.
KUMPASOĞLU, G. (2019). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFECTIONISM AND DEPRESSION: MEDIATOR ROLES OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND MATTERING. THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY.
Limburg, K., Watson, H., Hagger, M., & Egan, S. (2017). The Relationship BetweenPerfectionismandPsychopathology: A Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, 37(10), 1301–1326. doi:DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22435
Neff, K. D. (2003). Development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223-250.
Piacun, K. (2020). Maladaptive perfectionism and basic psychological need frustration as mediators in a relationship between fear of failure measures and generalisied anxiety symptoms. Master Clinical Psychology: Utrecht University.
Slaney, R. B., Rice, K. G., Mobley, M., Trippi, J., & Ashby, J. S. (2001). The revised Almost Perfect Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34, 130-145.
Stoeber, J., & Otto, K. (2006). Positive conceptions of perfectionism: Approaches, evidence, challenges. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 295-319
Stoeber, J., Kobori, O., & Tanno, Y. (2010). The Multidimensional Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory–English (MPCI-E): Reliability, validity, and relationships with positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality Assessment, 92(1), 16-25.
Published
2023-12-15
How to Cite
Shoeib, A. (2023). Self-compassion as a mediator to the relationship between Perfectionistic Cognitions, Anxiety and Depression of university students. International Journal of Research in Educational Sciences., 7(1), 41 - 106. Retrieved from http://iafh.net/index.php/IJRES/article/view/434
Section
Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)