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Introduction: Perfectionism constitutes a risk factor for the development of eating disorders. In overweight women, knowledge about the nature of this association is scarce., Objectives: To investigate the relationship between perfectionism, eating behaviors and affect in overweight women., Methods: The Portuguese versions of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire/EDEQ, the Multidimensional Perfectionism Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States were administered to an outpatient sample of 276 women (mean age=43.85±11.89years; mean BMI=32.82±5.43kg/m(2))., Results: Correlations between Socially Prescribed Perfectionism/SPP, EDEQ total (T) and its dimensional scores (Weight and Shape Concern and Dissatisfaction/WSCD, Eating Concern/EC, Dietary Restraint/DR) were significant (r>.30; p>.001). Self-Oriented Perfectionism/SOP was significantly correlated with EDEQ-T, WSCD and DR (r=.20). Participants with high (>M+SD) vs. low (

The role of perfectionism as a correlate and as a predictor of perinatal depressive symptomatology and disorder was examined. Three-hundred and eighty-six pregnant women (mean age = 30.08 years; SD = 4.205; range = 19-44) completed the Portuguese versions of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II/BDI-II and three questions evaluating anxiety trait, life stress and social support perception. Diagnoses of depression were obtained using the Portuguese version of the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies/OPCRIT system. Women who were depressed in pregnancy (ICD-10/DSM-IV) were excluded from the analyses. Self-Oriented Perfectionism and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism subcomponents (Conditional Acceptance and Others' High Standards) were significant correlates of depressive symptomatology/BDI-II in pregnancy. Others' High Standards was a significant predictor of postpartum depressive symptomatology/BDI-II, after controlling the other independent variables (depressive symptomatology and trait anxiety in pregnancy, life stress and social support perception in postpartum). None of the perfectionism subscales predicted postpartum depressive disorder (ICD-10/DSM-IV). Self-Oriented Perfectionism was an important correlate of depressive symptomatology in pregnancy and Others' High Standards and Conditional Acceptance were significant correlates of perinatal depressive symptomatology. Others' High Standards accounted for 0.8 % of the depressive symptomatology variance in postpartum after controlling the effect for other depressive symptomatology correlates. Perfectionism was not a risk factor for postpartum depressive disorder. Our findings improve the knowledge regarding the risk factors implicated in the development of postpartum depressive symptomatology/disorder, which is of utmost importance to develop adequate prevention and intervention strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the degree of absolute change, relative stability and state dependence of trait perfectionism in sleep disturbances in a sample of university students., Method: Participants completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and two items concerning sleep difficulties. The mean age at T0 (baseline) was 19.59 years (SD = 1.61, range = 17-25) and 62.5% of the sample were female., Results: Absolute changes in self-oriented and socially-prescribed perfectionism were found. Relative stability was found for all perfectionism dimensions. Prior and concurrent sleep disturbances explained a significant amount of variance in perfectionism. Controlling for the effects of sleep measures, prior self-oriented perfectionism and other-oriented perfectionism were the only significant predictors of subsequent self-oriented perfectionism and other-oriented perfectionism, at T1 and T2. Difficulties falling asleep at T1 and socially-prescribed perfectionism at T0 were significant predictors of socially-prescribed perfectionism at T1., Conclusion: Despite significant changes in perfectionism mean scores over the follow-up, the correlation analyses demonstrated that participants remained quite stable in regard to their relative levels of perfectionism. As concurrent difficulties initiating sleep also predicted concurrent socially-prescribed perfectionism, this seems to be one dimension of perfectionism with trait-state characteristics.

Aim: To examine if perfectionism predicts self-reported sleep disturbances over time., Methods: The Hewitt-Flett Perfectionism Scale was used to assess self-oriented, socially-prescribed (SPP) and other-oriented perfectionism. Sleep disturbance was evaluated with two items: difficulty in falling asleep and waking up many times during the night. Out of 870 students who participated at baseline, 592 and 305 completed the same measures 1 year (T1) and 2 years later (T2), respectively., Results: Subjects who reported insomnia at baseline, T1 and T2 (persistent insomnia) had significantly higher scores of baseline SPP (T1 M = 51.5, SD = 15.8; T2 M = 55.0, SD = 19.0) than subjects reporting, in all stages of the study, never/rarely having had sleep problems (T1 M = 41.9, SD = 11.4; T2 M = 42.2, SD = 12.3, P<0.001 in both cases). Regression analyses showed that baseline SPP was the only significant positive predictor of difficulties in falling asleep at T1 and T2 (T1 partial R=0.187; T2 partial R=0.196, P<0.001) and of difficulties maintaining sleep (T1 partial R=0.116; T2 partial R=0.244, P<0.001)., Conclusion: SPP was found to be the most reliable predictor of sleep disturbances over time, which constitutes a new important finding.

The main purpose of the present research was to explore gender-related associations between sleep disturbance and perfectionism dimensions in a large sample of undergraduate students. Perfectionism dimensions have been assessed using the Portuguese version of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Hewitt and Flett, 1991 , J Pers Soc Psychol 60:456; Soares et al., 2003 , Rev Port Psicossom 5:46) and sleep disturbance with two items concerning difficulties initiating sleep and difficulties maintaining sleep. A total of 1163 undergraduate students of both genders between 17 and 25 years of age completed the scale. Results from correlational and categorial analyses indicated that socially prescribed perfectionism was the only dimension associated with sleep disturbance in undergraduate students of both genders. Males with the highest levels of socially prescribed perfectionism were approximately twice more likely to report sleep disturbances than those with less socially prescribed perfectionism. Similar results were found within the female sample. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Objectives: The main objective was to explore which are the dimensions of perfectionism that are linked to disordered eating behaviour (EB) in a large non-clinical sample of both genders., Method: One thousand one hundred and sixty-three undergraduate students of the University of Coimbra completed the Portuguese versions of the multidimensional perfectionism scale (MPS) and the eating attitudes test (EAT-40)., Results: In both genders, the MPS total score was associated with the EAT total score and all EAT dimensions (except for socially prescribed perfectionism in females). Self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) were associated with EAT total score, diet concerns (DC) and bulimic behaviour (BB) in females while in males the social prescribed perfectionism (SPP) was the useful predictor of EAT total score, BB and social pressure to eat (SPE)., Conclusion: These results confirm that in general high levels of perfectionism are associated with abnormal EB. This was the case for both genders for SPP but for SOP for females only. The association for other oriented perfectionism (OOP) was greater for males than for females., (2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association)

The aim of our study was to explore the contribution of psychological factors for healthy sleep within a sample of one hundred employees (M= 43.4 ± 9.91 years; 74% female) with regular working schedules. Participants completed a set of questionnaires about sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviours, sleep times, healthy sleep, insomnia, sleep hygiene behaviours, personality traits, work-related cognitions, mood and well-being. Descriptive, correlational and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Extraversion, perception that work effort was properly rewarded, job autonomy, satisfaction with working conditions, vigour-activity, friendship and well-being were positively associated with healthy sleep; arousal predisposition, neuroticism, can't stop thinking of work, rumination, worry, depression-dejection, tension-anxiety, confusion-bewilderment and fatigue-inertia were negatively associated. Multiple linear regression analyses identified four factors that mostly contributed to healthy sleep (41.3%): neuroticism (R2=.245, p<.001), worry during sleep (R2 change=.094 p=.001), well-being (R2 change=.044, p=.016) and job autonomy (R2 change=.030, p=.041). Employees with lower levels of neuroticism, less worry during the night, better well-being and higher autonomy at work experienced healthier sleep. To promote healthy sleep among employees with regular/daytime working hours it might be important to consider personality traits, work-related cognitions and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To investigate the role of perfectionism in the development of disordered eating behaviours. Method 382 female university students completed the Hewitt & Flett MPS and the EAT-40 at baseline, and 1 year after (T1) and 206 2 years later (T2). Results Perfectionism at baseline was significantly associated with long-term abnormal eating attitudes/behaviours. Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP) and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) were significant predictors of disordered eating behaviours. Regression analysis revealed that SOP at baseline was predictive of Diet Concerns and overall eating disturbance (EAT total score), at T1 and T2. SPP was a significant predictor of Social Pressure to Eat at T1 and T2 and of Bulimic Behaviours only at T1. Conclusion Our findings contribute to a more clear understanding of the association between perfectionism and eating disorders. SOP and SPP were prospectively associated with abnormal eating attitudes/behaviours and SOP was found to be predictive of diet concerns and overall eating disturbance. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy is essentially a physiological event, but neuroendocrinal and psychosocial changes are also important components of this experience. In this context, perceived stress may be enhanced by the activation of certain personality traits, like perfectionism, which in turn may be associated with more psychological distress (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate if perfectionism could be associated with more negative emotional outcomes (PD) in the transition to motherhood and to look at which of the perfectionism dimensions these consequences are specifically linked. The sample comprises 421 pregnant women (mean = 29.8, SD = 4.48 years) who completed measures of perfectionism and mood symptoms. A two-factor model with self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) dimensions and a three-factor model with SOP, SPP-others’ high standards and SPP-conditional acceptance (CA) factors were explored. Correlations and linear regressions were calculated between perfectionism factors and mood variables. Results showed that higher levels of SPP factors were associated with increased anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion, with decreased vigour and with more severe depressive symptoms. Our results, in contrast with those from the study of Campbell and DiPaula (2002, In: Flett G, Hewitt P (eds) Perfectionism. Theory, research, and practice. American Psychological Association, Washington, pp 181–198), did not confirm a preferential association between SPP-CA and PD, revealing that both components of SPP were associated with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main aims of this article are twofold. First, to assess perfectionism dimensions in obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders in comparison with psychiatric control (depression/anxiety) and non-clinical control groups. Second, to examine if perfectionism is specifically related to these different clinical conditions. Method: Thirty-nine outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, 24 outpatients with eating disorders, 65 outpatients with a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety, and 70 non-clinical participants completed the Portuguese version of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Results: Compared to non-clinical subjects, individuals of all clinical samples had significantly higher scores on Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale total score, Self-Oriented and Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism. There were no significantly differences in Self-Oriented Perfectionism and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale total score in all the three clinical samples. Subjects from the eating disorders sample had significantly higher scores of Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism in comparison to obsessive-compulsive disorder and psychiatric control samples. Conclusion: Perfectionism showed to be related with this broad range of psychopathologies. However, the differences between eating disorders versus obsessive-compulsive disorder and psychiatric control on Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism warrant further investigation in order to clarify the specificity of this perfectionism dimension in eating disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]