Complexities of measuring perfectionism: three popular perfectionism measures and their relations with eating disturbances and health behaviors in a female college student sample.

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships between three popular measures of perfectionism [the Eating Disorders Inventory - Perfectionism scale (EDI-P), the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS)] and measures of eating disturbances and health behaviors, in a sample of 248 female college students. Results indicated that the adaptiveness or maladaptiveness of certain perfectionism dimensions should still be questioned. Also, self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism (from the MPS) were consistently found to be the most important predictors of both eating disturbances and health behaviors. Surprisingly, scores on the EDI-P were not found to be significant predictors of eating disturbances when FMPS and MPS scores were included in regression analyses. Implications of the present findings are discussed.

• Authors: Edward C Chang, Valentina Ivezaj, Christina A Downey, Yuri Kashima, Aviva R Morady
• Journal: Eating behaviors (Eat Behav) Vol. 9 Issue 1 Pg. 102-10 (Jan 2008) ISSN: 1471-0153 [Print] United States
• PMID: 18167328 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Feeding and Eating Disorders (epidemiology)
• Female
• Health Behavior
• Humans
• Personality
• Students (psychology, statistics & numerical data)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Universities