Family Perfectionism among Russian College Students.

Background: Research documenting the consequences of perfectionism on psychopathology and academic achievement across diverse cultures proliferates. This paper situates the multidimensional model of perfectionism and the role of family perfectionism within a Russian context. Objective: The main purposes are to investigate the psychometric properties of the Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS) among Russian college students and to explore whether the different types of perfectionistic families found in past studies are replicated in the sample. The impact of both personal and family aspects of perfectionism on psychological and academic outcomes is investigated. Design: The psychometric properties of a Russian family perfectionism measure were examined using 169 students (50 men, 119 women), recruited at a national university in Perm, Russia. Their overall average age was 19.60 (SD = 0.63), ranging from 18 to 23 (Men: M = 19.72, SD = 0.76; Women: M = 19.55, SD = 0.56). Results: Results indicated that the adjusted 15-item Russian Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS) yielded adequate factor structure, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. The distinctively adaptive and maladaptive natures of the Family Standards and Family Discrepancy subscales were supported through correlations with psychological distress measures, as well as the three different types of perfectionistic families that were replicated through cluster analyses. The adaptive, maladaptive, and non-perfectionistic families mirrored the groups found in past studies. In comparing individuals of various family types, those from maladaptive perfectionistic families reported higher levels of depressive mood and anxiety than those from adaptive perfectionistic families. Conclusion: Findings implicate the relevancy of this construct to college students' psychological well-being. The Russian FAPS could be used in future research to further explore perceived family perfectionism among Russian-speaking populations.

Latent profile analysis of interpersonal problems: Attachment, basic psychological need frustration, and psychological outcomes.

The purpose of this project was to identify distinct profiles of circumplex interpersonal problems, cross-validate the profiles, and examine construct validity through associations with adult attachment, basic psychological needs frustration, and psychological outcomes. Undergraduates at two universities provided survey data. In Study 1 (N = 469), latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles of interpersonal problems. We labeled these: Flexible-Adaptive, Exploitable-Subservient, and Hostile-Avoidant. Construct validity analyses suggested the Flexible-Adaptive profile was distinguished from the other two by lower attachment anxiety, whereas the Hostile-Avoidant profile was distinguished from the other two by higher attachment avoidance. In Study 2 (N = 423), we conducted profile similarity analyses to cross-validate Study 1 results, following the multistep procedure proposed by Morin et al. (Organizational Research Methods, 2016, 19, p. 231). Results suggested that when the data from Study 2 were constrained to fit the profile model derived from Study 1, with respect to means, variance, and latent profile membership, the model fit was equivalent. In Study 2, further evidence of construct validity suggested that the Flexible-Adaptive profile was distinguished from the other two by lower relatedness frustration and by lower competence frustration. Additionally, the Hostile-Avoidant profile was distinguished from the Exploitable-Subservient profile by higher relatedness need frustration. Validity evidence for these profiles indicated that those with the Hostile-Avoidant profile reported the most negative psychological outcomes, followed by those with the Exploitable-Subservient profile, while those with the Flexible-Adaptive profile reported the best psychological outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Chinese Spiritual Coping Scale: Development and Initial Psychometric Evaluation.

The aim of the study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Chinese Spiritual Coping Scale. The items in the questionnaire were written according to the study's theoretical conception and literature research. A sample of 415 participants with or without religious beliefs was used for exploratory factor analyses to select the items. In addition, another sample of 207 participants was used to cross-validate the factor structure and examine the internal consistency. The results supported the four-factor structure of the Chinese Spiritual Coping Scale (17 items, four dimensions: Mystical Experience, Moral Practice, Meaning Exploration, and Transcendent Attitude). The analyses demonstrated adequate internal consistency and construct validity. The overall psychometric evaluation of the Spiritual Coping Scale suggested that this could be a promising measure of spiritual coping for Chinese individuals.

Religious Perfectionism Scale Among Believers of Multiple Faiths in China: Development and Psychometric Analysis.

In China, many people are converting to various world religions. Nonetheless, religious adherence for them, as with many people, can still function as a double-edged sword with regards to mental health. In particular, religious perfection can become either a healthy commitment or a rigid outlook that leads to distress. Thus, we developed the Religious Perfectionism Scale (RPS) from Chinese religious believers. In the first phase (N = 171), we collected qualitative data through an open-question survey from different religious groups (i.e., Buddhism, Protestantism, and Islam). Then, we developed an item pool based on themes that emerged from these qualitative data. In the second phase, participants (N = 1055) were randomly split into two subsamples. Exploratory factor analyses were performed on the first subsample (N = 519) to select the scale items. The nine-item RPS subsequently includes two dimensions-Zealous Religious Dedication and Religious Self-Criticism. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed on the second subsample (N = 536) to cross-validate the factor structure. Results indicate that the internal consistency reliability for the RPS subscale scores was all adequate. Furthermore, the construct validity of the RPS was supported through its correlations with measures of perfectionism perceived to have come from God (or a higher power), psychological indicators, and a personality variable (i.e., discipline) in expected directions. Results of the psychometric evaluations of this newly developed scale suggest that the RPS is a promising measure in that it can facilitate future research that leads to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of religious perfectionism on psychological well-being.

Religious Discrimination Scale: Development and Initial Psychometric Evaluation.

This study presents the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Religious Discrimination Scale (RDS). This 11-item instrument identified three dimensions based on perceived discrimination experiences of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS): Perceived Prejudice, Closet Symptoms, and Negative Labels. The psychometric evaluations of the RDS indicated a strong and clear factor structure as well as good internal consistency reliability. The test of measurement and structural invariance across gender also suggested that the RDS scale is equally appropriate to be used with both men and women. Implications for practice and research as well as future directions are discussed.

Self-Narrative Profiles of Elite Athletes and Comparisons on Psychological Well-Being.

Further research is needed on factors related to the emotional health of elite athletes. Previous research has linked self-narratives of people or their narrative identities to their psychological well-being. However, no study has yet examined self-narratives among elite athletes. PURPOSE: This study examined whether specific profiles or narrative identities of athletes emerge through multiple self-narrative indicators; these profiles were compared on measures of psychological well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, postfailure shame levels, and life satisfaction). METHOD: Self-report data were collected from a sample of elite athletes (n = 99, Mdn age = 22 years, 52% male, 53% individual sports) competing at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1, professional, or Olympic level. RESULTS: Latent profile analysis revealed 3 profile types that significantly differed on measures of psychological well-being. Athletes with a performance-based narrative identity (high perfectionism, fear of failure, and contingent self-worth) demonstrated the highest levels of psychological disruptions (highest levels of depression, anxiety, and shame; lowest levels of life satisfaction), whereas a purpose-based narrative identity (high purpose, global self-worth, positive view of self after sport) was associated with the highest level of psychological well-being (lowest levels of depression, anxiety, and shame; highest levels of life satisfaction). Athletes in the mixed-type profile class reported better psychological well-being compared with the performance-based profile class but not the purpose-based profile class. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide initial evidence that particular self-narrative profiles of elite athletes contribute to their own psychological well-being in a significant way. Possible implications for practitioners are also discussed.

Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale: Development and Initial Evidence.

In this study, the Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale (PPGS) was developed with Latter-day Saints (Mormons) across two samples. Sample 1 (N = 421) was used for EFA to select items for the Perceived Standards from God (5 items) and the Perceived Discrepancy from God (5 items) subscales. Sample 2 (N = 420) was used for CFA and cross-validated the 2-factor oblique model as well as a bifactor model. Perceived Standards from God scores had Cronbach alphas ranging from .73 to .78, and Perceived Discrepancy from God scores had Cronbach alphas ranging from .82 to .84. Standards from God scores were positively correlated with positive affect, whereas Discrepancy from God scores was positively correlated with negative affect, shame and guilt. Moreover, these two PPGS subscale scores added significant incremental variances in predicting associated variables over and above corresponding personal perfectionism scores.

Acculturative stress as a moderator for international student drinking behaviors and alcohol use consequences.

Drinking behaviors and alcohol use consequences can have a major effect on well-being in college student populations. Little research has addressed how the unique acculturative stress experiences of international students may affect their alcohol use and consequences. This study examined acculturative stress as a moderator of the relationship between international student drinking behaviors and alcohol use consequences. Data were collected from 175 international students and analyzed using hierarchal regression analysis to assess the moderating effect of acculturative stress. Acculturative stress moderated the relationship between alcohol use and related consequences such that the relationship was stronger among those with higher levels of acculturative stress. Efforts to alleviate acculturative stress experiences of this population may help decrease alcohol use consequences.

The Cross-Cultural Loss Scale: development and psychometric evaluation.

The Cross-Cultural Loss Scale (CCLS), a measure of loss associated with crossing national boundaries, was developed across 2 samples of international students. With Sample 1 (N = 262), exploratory factor analyses were used to select the 14 CCLS items and to determine 3 factors: Belonging-Competency (α = .87), National Privileges (α = .68), and Access to Home Familiarity (α = .72). With Sample 2, confirmatory factor analyses (N = 256) cross-validated the 3-factor oblique model as well as a bifactor model. Cronbach alphas of CCLS subscale scores in Sample 2 ranged from .73 to .87. The validity of the CCLS scores was supported by its associations with related variables in the expected directions. Perceived cross-cultural losses were positively associated with negative affect, migration grief and loss, and discrimination and were negatively associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, general self-efficacy, and social connection with mainstream society. Moreover, the CCLS total and 2 subscale scores added significant incremental variance in predicting subjective well-being over and above related constructs. The results indicated measurement invariance and validity equivalency for the CCLS scores between men and women. The overall results from these 2 samples support CCLS as a psychometrically strong measure.

Moderation effects of perfectionism and discrimination on interpersonal factors and suicide ideation.

This study examined the moderating effects of 3 risk factors-perfectionistic personal discrepancy, perfectionistic family discrepancy, and discrimination-on the associations between interpersonal risk factors (i.e., perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) and suicide ideation in a sample of 466 Asian international students studying in the United States. We focused specifically on perceived discrimination and maladaptive perfectionism as moderating risk factors to Joiner's (2005) interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior. We incorporated both personal and family discrepancy as indicators of maladaptive perfectionism. Personal discrepancy refers to the tendency of individuals to perceive that they failed to meet their own standards, whereas family discrepancy refers to individuals' tendency to perceive that they failed to meet their families' standards. Results highlight the significance of studying this overlooked population in the suicide ideation literature. Maladaptive perfectionism (i.e., personal and family discrepancy) as well as discrimination were found to be positively associated with suicide ideation. Moreover, family discrepancy and perceived discrimination were found to intensify the associations between interpersonal risk factors (i.e., perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) and suicide ideation. These findings underscore the importance of considering interpersonal factors in addressing suicidal risks with populations from collectivistic cultures. Research and clinical implications are also addressed.

A development and validation of the Perceived Language Discrimination Scale.

This study was conducted to develop the Perceived Language Discrimination (PLD) scale across three samples of international students. In Sample 1 (N = 224), the seven items of the PLD were selected (α = .94) through an exploratory factor analysis. In Sample 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 222) provided a cross-validation of the one-factor model. Validity was supported by moderate positive associations of perceived language discrimination with depression (r = .35) and anxiety (r = .36), as well as small negative associations of perceived language discrimination with self-esteem (r = -.24) and life satisfaction (r = -.26). Moreover, perceived language discrimination had a large positive association with perceived racial discrimination (r = .62), a moderate negative association with perceived English proficiency (r = -.49), and a relatively weak association with social desirability (r = .14). Finally, perceived language discrimination added significant incremental variance in predicting depression and anxiety over and above perceived racial discrimination and perceived English proficiency, respectively. The results indicated measurement invariance and validity equivalency for the PLD between males and females as well as between the English and Non-English groups. In Sample 3, the estimated 2-week test-retest reliability (N = 31) was .83. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Perfectionism in gifted students: moderating effects of goal orientation and contingent self-worth.

We examined the moderating effects of mastery goals and academic contingency of self-worth (CSW-A) on how perfectionistic discrepancy associates with academic efficacy and satisfaction with life among gifted students in middle and high school. Participants in this study were 144 gifted students from 6th to 12th grade in a suburban Midwest U.S. school district. A significant three-way interaction effect was found among discrepancy, mastery goals, and CSW-A on academic self-efficacy. The findings suggest that having high mastery goals served as a protective factor against the negative impact of discrepancy on academic efficacy for gifted students, but only for those with low CSW-A. For gifted students with elevated CSW-A, discrepancy was not negatively associated with academic self-efficacy, regardless of their level of mastery goals. The implications for these findings are discussed.

Ethnic and mainstream social connectedness, perceived racial discrimination, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Carter (2007) proposed the notion of race-based traumatic stress and argued that experiences of racial discrimination can be viewed as a type of trauma. In a sample of 383 Chinese international students at 2 predominantly White midwestern universities, the present results supported this notion and found that perceived racial discrimination predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms over and above perceived general stress. Furthermore, Berry (1997) proposed an acculturation framework and recommended that researchers advance the literature by examining the moderation effects on the association between racial discrimination and outcomes. The present results supported the moderation effect for Ethnic SC (i.e., social connectedness in the ethnic community), but not for Mainstream SC (i.e., social connectedness in mainstream society). A simple effects analysis indicated that a high Ethnic SC weakened the strength of the association between perceived racial discrimination and posttraumatic stress symptoms more than a low Ethnic SC. Moreover, although Mainstream SC failed to be a moderator, Mainstream SC was significantly associated with less perceived general stress, less perceived racial discrimination, and less posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Multidimensional perfectionism, depression and relational health in women with eating disturbances.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated multidimensional perfectionism, depression, and relational health and quality across varying severities of eating disorders. The Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnoses (Mintz, O'Halloran, Mulholland, & Schneider, 1997) was used to distinguish clinical, subclinical, and asymptomatic groupings. METHOD: The sample included 212 women recruited from a university and an eating disorder treatment center. RESULTS: Results indicated significant differences across all the three groups on perfectionistic discrepancy. All three groups also differed on their level of depressive mood. However, there were no significant group differences on relational health and quality. DISCUSSION: This study contributes to the understanding of intrapersonal and interpersonal correlates of eating disorders and subclinical eating disturbances. This understanding allows for better identification of vulnerability to eating disorders and offers the potential to design more specialized and effective treatments.

Profiles of acculturative adjustment patterns among Chinese international students.

This is the first study to empirically identify distinct acculturative adjustment patterns of new international students over their first 3 semesters in the United States. The sample consisted of 507 Chinese international students studying in the United States. Using psychological distress as an indicator of acculturative adjustment, measured over 4 time points (prearrival, first semester, second semester, and third semester), 4 distinct groups of student adjustment trajectories emerged: (a) a group exhibiting high levels of psychological distress across each time point (consistently distressed; 10%), (b) a group with decreasing psychological distress scores from Time 1 to Time 2 (relieved; 14%), (c), those with a sharp peak in psychological distress at Time 2 and Time 3 (culture-shocked; 11%), and (d) a group with relatively consistent low psychological distress scores (well-adjusted; 65%). Moreover, significant predictors of a better acculturative adjustment pattern included having higher self-esteem, positive problem-solving appraisal, and lower maladaptive perfectionism prior to the acculturation process. In addition, during the first semester of studying in the United States, having a balanced array of social support and using acceptance, reframing, and striving as coping strategies were associated with a better cross-cultural transition. Practical implications and future directions were also discussed.

Perfectionism in African American students: relationship to racial identity, GPA, self-esteem, and depression.

This study examined 219 African American college students at predominantly White universities using the constructs of perfectionism, academic achievement, self-esteem, depression, and racial identity. Cluster analysis was performed using the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R), which yielded three clusters that represented adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, and nonperfectionists. These three groups were compared on their scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS), and Grade Point Average (GPA). Adaptive perfectionists reported higher self-esteem and lower depression scores than both the nonperfectionists and maladaptive perfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists had higher GPAs than nonperfectionists. On the racial identity scales, maladaptive perfectionists had higher scores on Pre-Encounter Self Hatred and Immersion-Emersion Anti-White subscales than adaptive perfectionists. The cultural and counseling implications of this study are discussed and integrated. Finally, recommendations are made for future studies of African American college students and perfectionism.

Personal and family perfectionism of Taiwanese college students: relationships with depression, self-esteem, achievement motivation, and academic grades.

An increasing number of perfectionism studies have been conducted across different countries outside of the Western framework. Using an international egalitarian approach that adopts indigenous frameworks and concepts from the cultural context of the population studied is imperative. This study examines different groups of perfectionists with a sample of 348 Taiwanese college students, emphasizing the collectivistic culture. In particular, this is a follow-up study to further explore characteristics of a group with low standards/high discrepancy--a feeling that they are not good enough despite having low standards--found in a previous study with Taiwanese students. More specifically, this study investigates whether the source of the high discrepancy scores among this group is related to having higher perfectionistic standards from their family. Perfectionism was examined not only from a personal/individualistic perspective, but also from a familistic dimension to reflect Taiwanese collectivistic cultural values. Results partially supported the hypotheses--this group reported having higher family discrepancy, but not family standards, than nonperfectionists. However, this group of participants reported lower academic grades, which implies the possibility of their discrepancy being associated with poorer performance. Four cluster groups--adaptive perfectionists, maladaptive perfectionists, nonperfectionists, and those with low standards/high discrepancy--were compared on their levels of depression, self-esteem, achievement motivation, and academic grades. Maladaptive perfectionists reported the highest depression level, while adaptive perfectionists reported the highest self-esteem. Results also show that aspects of personal perfectionism and family perfectionism related to self-esteem differently among this sample. Findings and implications are discussed with consideration of the collectivistic cultural context in Taiwan.

Conceptions of perfectionism and interpersonal problems: evaluating groups using the structural summary method for circumplex data.

This study examined two conceptions of perfectionism in relation to interpersonal problems. Two hundred and seventy-nine undergraduate participants completed the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R) and the Dyadic Almost Perfect Scale (DAPS). The authors used empirically derived discriminant functions (APS-R) and cluster analysis (DAPS) to identify three groups for both measures: adaptive and maladaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists. Analyses of group profiles were performed on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Circumplex (IIP-C) scales using the structural summary method for circumplex data. APS-R and DAPS groups were compared on interpersonal problems endorsement and IIP-C profile characteristics. For both measures, results supported the hypotheses that maladaptive perfectionists would exhibit elevated profiles reflecting hostile-dominant and friendly-submissive interpersonal problems, whereas the adaptive perfectionists would exhibit low profile elevation indicative of interpersonal adjustment. Overall, results supported Slaney and colleagues' (2001) model of perfectionism and provided evidence for the validity of the APS-R and DAPS.