Dimensions of Perfectionism in Depressed and Anxious Patients

Background: Perfectionism appears to play an important role in the etiology, maintenance, and course of psychological disorders. However, very few clinical data exist to clarify the nature and the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism with depression and anxiety. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare dimensions of perfectionism in depressed and anxious patients. Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive referrals to the counseling centers of the University of Tehran and Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran Iran, were included in this study in three groups: 1) depressed patients (n= 25); 2) anxious patients (n= 19); and 3) matched normal subjects (n= 44) as control. All 88 participants were asked to complete the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. The Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results: It was found that depressed patients had higher levels of Self-Oriented Perfectionism than did the other two groups. It was also found that anxious patients had higher levels of Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) than did either the depressed or the normal control subjects. In addition, depressed patients reported higher levels of SPP than did normal control subjects. No significant difference was found between the three groups in terms of Other-Oriented Perfectionism. Conclusion: Results of the present study reinforce the need to examine and conceptualize perfectionism as a potentially multidimensional construct.